A Change in Plans
by Toa Naruto
Summary: What if, instead of focusing on getting Sasuke, Orochimaru decided to abduct Naruto, and turn the boy into his loyal weapon? How different would things be? Can Naruto be saved, or will he be a Sound nin for the rest of his life? Eventual NarutoXSamui
1. Second Thoughts

_**A Change in Plans **_

_**I don't own anything! **_

'_Blah'_- inner thoughts

"Blah"** -** talking

'_**Blah' **_- demon/monster speaking

"**Blah" -** jutsu being performed

"**BLAH"** - really angry yelling

**#-** scene change

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**Chapter 1: Second Thoughts **

_Orochimaru's layer_

"Damn you, Sarutobi Sensei, you f&#king bastard!!" screeched Orochimaru, as another wave a pain surged through his arms, as he sat in his personal bedroom. The infamous missing nin was not having a good day at all. He had just gotten back from the town of Tanzaku, and it seemed that the pain in his decomposing arms had tripled. His attempt to convince Tsunade to heal his arms in exchange for reviving her snot-nosed little brother, and her pansy of a boyfriend failed horribly. The bimbo even had the gall to try to kill him.

Even in his crippled condition, he had more than enough power to kill her, thanks to her debilitating fear of blood, but then that idiotic, mega-pervert Jiraiya intervened, along with the container of the Nine-Tailed Fox, Naruto, and Tsunade's apprentice. At first, it seemed as if he had the upper hand, with Kabuto's superior skills, and the fact that Jiraiya's chakra control had been hampered when Tsunade drugged him earlier on.

But the tides turned against him, once the jinchuriki had protected Tsunade by defeating Kabuto using the Rasengan, a jutsu that should have been impossible for a boy like him to pull off. But in his efforts to protect the blonde woman, the boy's heart was severely injured by one last attack from Kabuto and was moments away from dying. Or he was, if Tsunade hadn't healed his damaged organ.

Orochimaru knew that Naruto was going to be trouble, since the Akatsuki were after the fox demon that was sealed inside him, and the Snake sanin didn't want to be reunited with that organization anytime soon. So, he decided to kill Naruto before he became a bigger nuisance than he already was. But, once again, Tsunade interfered. This time, she had somehow overcome her fear of blood long enough to summon Katsuyu, the slug queen, and then join forces with Jiraiya and Gamabunta. Their combined forces were no match for him and Manda, the latter ending up having his mouth punctured by Gamabunta's sword, and swearing to the missing nin that he would pay dearly if the he summoned the snake again.

"Dammit! Once again, the ninja of the Leaf Village always end ruining my plans, especially the blonde menace, Naruto Uzumaki!!" seethed the pale sanin, his eyes squelched shut in pain. He had read the reports of how he had defeated Gaara of the Sand, even when the Sand nin had transformed into the Shukaku. That brought him back to the jutsu that Naruto had used against Kabuto. The Rasengan was an A-Rank Jutsu, it took the Fourth Hokage three years to create it, yet Naruto was able to perform it, successfully. But none of this information made any sense, according to Kabuto's intelligence, Naruto was nothing but a pathetic simpleton that was ranked dead last in his class. Yet, it seemed as if even in the most dire situations, no matter the odds, the boy seemed to do the impossible, and come out on top.

'_In all of my experience of being a ninja,' _thought Orochimaru, _'there are very few people that have the same ability that Naruto has. The only people that share Naruto's strength are Jiraiya, Tsunade, and the Fourth Hokage.' _Suddenly, his eyes snapped open in shock when his mind landed on the Fourth Hokage.

"Kabuto!" shouted the snake nin. A second later, the white-haired teenager appeared by his bedside.

"You called, Lord Orochimaru?" said Kabuto.

"Tell me, Kabuto, what do you know of the Fourth Hokage." replied the snake.

Kabuto looked at his master as if he had grown another head. What was there to tell him about the Fourth Hokage that he knows already. But, nonetheless, Kabuto decided to obey the order, before Orochimaru sacrificed him to Manda.

"The Fourth Hokage," began Kabuto, "real name is Minato Namikaze, was taught by Jiraiya, earned the nickname "The Yellow Flash" during the Third Ninja War, creator of the Rasengan and the Flying Thunder God Jutsu, was responsible sealing the Nine-Tailed Fox demon in Naruto Uzumaki through the Reaper Death Seal . . ."

"And do you know why Minato chose Naruto in the first place?" asked the snake nin, interrupting the glasses-wearing ninja, as well as confusing him. Taking advantage of the momentarily silence, Orochimaru spoke again. "Tell me, Kabuto, did Minato ever have any kids, or any heirs to his clan?"

"No, sir, Minato died alone. He didn't have any family, a wife, or even a girlfriend."

"Are you sure?" asked the snake, slyly.

"Yes, according to my intelligence, I'm sure." said Kabuto.

Orochimaru just laughed out loud, causing Kabuto to worry about his master's sanity.

"It's really amazing how something so obvious, so simple, can be easily missed by so many ignorant people!" shouted Orochimaru.

"Wwhat do you mean, my lord?" asked Kabuto, nervously.

"Oh come now, don't tell me that you don't see why, out of all the newborn children available at the time of the fox demon's attack, the Fourth chose little Naruto? Or why didn't the boy's parents object to Minato using their child for the fox's container? Or even better, have you ever seen what the Fourth looks like?"

"Of course I have! His face is carved into a mountain, you would have to blind to not see what he looks like." said Kabuto, who getting annoyed with his master's antics.

"Then tell me, Kabuto, if you add three whisker-like marks on each side of Minato's face, who does he remind you of?"

Kabuto became silent, and began to picture the Fourth with whisker marks. It only took a second for him to see where Orochimaru was going with all of this.

"No way. . ." he said, quietly.

"Yes, way." replied Orochimaru, a smirk adorning his face. "It appears that the Leaf Village has the only heir of both the Namikaze and Uzumaki clans, and instead of training him to reach his full potential, they do everything in their power to destroy him for something that is beyond their understanding. Plus, with the fox demon's chakra at his command, the boy would be truly unstoppable, if someone actually took the time to train him properly."

"So what? I mean it _is _amazing to find out that Naruto is the Fourth's son, but what difference does it make? I thought that your goal is to obtain the sharingan by using Sasuke as your next vessel."

"True, but there are a few complications with the Heaven curse mark that I didn't expect to occur. For example, during his match with Yoroi, the curse mark should have been able to overpower Sasuke's mind, causing him to give in to its power. But instead, he was able to resist the temptation of the mark's power, and even managed to suppress it on his own. Then, there was the problem that happened even before I set my sights on Leaf's "last Uchiha". The first survivor of the curse mark, Anko Mitarashi, was able to actually try to leave me after being branded with it. No one should be able to resist the power that my curse mark has to offer!"

"Sir, what are you trying to say?" asked Kabuto.

"What I'm saying," started Orochimaru, "is that in order to make sure that Sasuke comes to me for power, and thus giving me the chance to take his body, he needs to have a much darker, and more powerful curse mark than the one he has right now. I already have one in the works, but it's going take some time before it's perfected. And even still, I need a new test subject to see how the curse mark works. But not just anyone, I need a ninja that has unlimited power, a ninja that has the motivation to destroy all who opposes him in battle. And, luckily for me, I know exactly where to find said ninja. But, first things first. Kabuto, I want you to begin the selection process for my new vessel."

"But sir, what about the original plan of getting Sasuke Uchiha to defect from Leaf, and then come to you? You've already branded him with your curse mark, so why are you going to just abandon your goal of obtaining the sharingan?" asked Kabuto, who starting to really worry about his master's sanity."

"Calm down, Kabuto, I never said that was giving up on Sasuke. No, not at all, this is just a slight change in plans. I just need a new body so that I can conduct my research for the new curse mark without any hindrance. Plus, when I go to the Leaf Village to retrieve my new test subject, I need both of my arms to release those that have been branded with my old mark. Now that I have deemed the Heaven curse mark obsolete, there's no point in having in the open where people can reverse-engineer it for their own purposes. Now, begin the selection process at once! I want to get out of this mangled body as soon as possible."

"As you command, Lord Orochimaru." said Kabuto, and vanished in a puff of smoke, so that he can make the arrangements for Orochimaru's new body. As soon as he was left alone in his room, the great snake just chuckled to himself.

'_Soon, I will have the power of the Namikaze, the Uzumaki, __**and**__ the Nine-Tailed Fox at my disposal.' _thought Orochimaru._ 'And thanks to the Leaf's constant ignorance and cruelty, I'll have no trouble at all in turning him into the deadliest super-weapon in history! And once his training is complete, the Leaf Village shall be the first victim to feel his wrath!!' _

_To Be Continued . . . _

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**So, this is how it starts out. The next chaptter will be longer. Peace Out!**


	2. Lost Memories

_**A Change in Plans **_

_**Just to mention something that I should've mentioned in the first chapter: Neither Jiraiya nor Tsunade know about Naruto's heritage. I own nothing!!!!!!!!!!!!! **_

_'Blah'_- inner thoughts

"Blah"** -** talking

'_**Blah' **_- demon/monster speaking

"BLAH" - talking with extreme emotion

"**Blah" -** jutsu being performed

"**BLAH"**- really angry yelling

**# **- scene change

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**Chapter 2: Lost in Thoughts **

The day started out as any normal day would: the sun was out in the clear blue sky, and there was gentle breeze flowing every now and then. Several people would consider these conditions to be the start of a very good day. Naruto, on the other hand, wasn't one of these people. Right now, Naruto was sitting on a bench that was placed across the entrance of a casino waiting impatiently, all the while muttering under his breathe about busty, old blondes and their reckless urges to gamble. It never ceased to amaze him how the Slug Sanin could be so reckless with the money that she borrows from practically every bank or loan shark.

Naruto originally wanted go in as well and possible win more money so that he could set it aside for an emergency fund. Not to mention that he was still recovering financially after that stunt his mega-pervert sensei pulled at the "make-out" bar. That was the last time that he would ever let that man guard his money again. Unfortunately, the casino didn't allow anyone below the age of eighteen to gamble. Now normally, this wouldn't have been a problem for Naruto since a simple Transformation Jutsu could've amended the situation. Tsunade's threats of giving him the beating of a lifetime, however, was the real reason that he wasn't inside right now doubling his life savings. Instead, he was ordered to wait outside with Jiraiya while she went in. Speaking of the devil, the infamous peeping tom was no where to be found.

"Well this is just great, Granny Tsunade and Shizune are having a blast at the casino, and Pervy Sage is probably off peeping in yet another women's hot springs. Meanwhile, I'm stuck here waiting for them, looking like some idiot that's lost their way." he muttered to himself.

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_With the stupid per . . . I mean Jiraiya _

While Tsunade was at the casino, Jiraiya was at a bar stand, sipping down a bottle of sake. He was having a very good day. He and Naruto (mostly Naruto) had convinced Tsunade to accept the title of Fifth Hokage, meaning that he no longer had to worry about the council trying to make him take the job himself.

'_Now that Tsunade is left with dealing those wrinkly, pompous council members, I have plenty of time to catch up on my research. Sure, having the rank of Kage sounds pretty cool, but it's really just a pain-in-the-ass desk job. Though, I wonder if I should warn Tsunade about what she had just agreed to do. . . . Nah, it'll be funnier once she finds out on her own.' _thought Jiraiya gleefully. Suddenly he spotted a young busty brunette in his peripheral vision walk in and sit down at the bar two seats to his left. Acting on habitual behavior, the older man pulled out his notebook and an ink pen to jot down some quick notes for his new book. But as he got a good look at the woman's face, Jiraiya immediately froze up, and allowed his pen to fall to the floor.

All time seemed to stop as Jiraiya continued to gaze at the young woman that was sitting on his left. Nothing else was as important as the face that was before him. The woman had a smooth, angular face with cream-colored skin. Her eyes were of a bright aquamarine color that shown brightly in the shaded environment of the stand's drapes. Her luscious lips shone with a light pink hue. As Jiraiya continued to gaze upon the young woman, whose looks rivaled Tsunade's when she was in her prime, one name instantly popped into his mind. A name whose owner was the first to ever render him speechless by her beauty. A name that had brought so much happiness and despair to him at the same time. The hair color was all wrong, but she was almost completely identical to her.

"Shina . . ."

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_Flashback _

"Just hang in there, Shina! We're almost there, the hospital is just a few more feet away!" shouted Jiraiya, as he leapt across tree after tree carrying a very battered kunoichi. She had several deep gashes all over her body that were already bandaged, yet she was still losing a lot of blood.

'_Please hang on, love. I can't bear to lose you.' _the white-haired nin mentally pleaded.

"Jiry . . ." came a weak voice. Jiraiya looked down at the girl that he was carrying and gazed into her half-closed eyes. "Jiry, please . . . please don't. My injuries are too severe. I don't think I can make it.

"Yes you can, Shina!" exclaimed Jiraiya, as he doubled his pace, and prayed that he could get there in time. "You've been through worse situations than this! You _can _make it, just don't give up! And don't even think about saying that you have no problem dying like this, not after everything we've been through!"

"Ji . . . Jiry . . ."

"Shina? . . Shina?! . . . SHINA!!!"

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_In Present Time_

"Sir? . . . Sir?" was the voice that brought Jiraiya back to his surroundings. Immediately, he realized that the woman was looking at him with a worried expression adorning her face.

"Sir, are you alright? You were looking very vacant, and were talking to yourself about some 'Shina'."

It took a while for Jiraiya to process what exactly had happened, and realized that he must of zoned out while he was still staring at the woman.

"Uh, yeah, yeah, I'm alright." he said awkwardly. "I'm sorry about that, it's just that you look a lot like someone I used to know." And without a further word, he paid for his drink and left the bar. As he walked aimlessly away, his mind was still focused on that woman that looked so much like his Shina.

The moment that he had first laid eyes on her, his entire world was turned completely upside down. He immediately became tongue-tied whenever he spoke to her, and would often become very clumsy whenever they were alone together. But, he had somehow overcome these problems and had asked her out, which she enthusiastically agreed to. From that moment on, Jiraiya vowed to make sure their relationship lasted. Unfortunately, on one tragic day, Jiraiya learned just how cruel fate can be when he watched the love of his life die in his arms. It was also the start of a year long depression for the Sanin. To make matters worse, he couldn't turn to his family for comfort and help, as his parents were alcoholics that fought with each other on a daily basis.

To help deal his suffering, Jiraiya began to indulge himself in his perverted nature and created the "Make-Out" series, based on his own life experiences, as a way to numb his emotional pain. But there was only so much that one could write without their work becoming dull. Jiraiya knew this and began to start peeping on women, once again, in bath houses to get new material. When he published the first book, it became an immediate success, and instantly made Jiraiya a filthy rich man. His new found wealth then led him to his excessive spending in strip clubs and alcohol. Pretty soon, he had almost completely forgotten about Shina all together, if it weren't for that encounter at the bar.

'_Shina,' _he thought sadly, _'if you could see me now, you'd be utterly disgusted in what I've become. Gah! How could I have been so stupid?! How could I have just let myself go like that? Peeping on women, writing those books, throwing Naruto off a cliff just to make him master summoning; what's wrong with me?! Well, no more! I'm stopping this foolishness right now! I'm going to start acting like the man and sensei I should be today!' _And with that, he started towards the casino that Naruto, Tsunade, Shizune, and Tonton were at. But when his mind landed on Naruto, he realized of a certain debt that he had with the boy that needed to be repaid. So changed directions and headed towards the nearest bank to make a withdrawal from his account.

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_Back With Naruto_

Naruto's patience with the two Sanin was diminishing quickly. According to the others, the Sanin of the Hidden Leaf Village were supposed to be well-respected ninja of great power and wisdom. But after his encounters with all three of them, Naruto couldn't see why these adults were so well-respected: Jiraiya was a complete pervert, Tsunade was both an alcoholic and a gambling addict with a short temper, and Orochimaru was a twisted, snake-loving psychopath. But then again, even though the first two Sanin had their faults, they were still loyal to the Leaf and had a kind side to them as well. Suddenly, he felt a familiar chakra signature approaching from behind him. Naruto turned around to see the infamous Jiraiya approaching him.

"Naruto, why are you waiting outside?" asked Jiraiya.

"The doorman wouldn't me in because I was 'too young' to gamble. So Granny Tsunade told me to wait here until she was finished." replied Naruto in a sour tone.

"You, taking orders from Tsunade? That's not like you at all. I would've thought that you'd try to sneak in." joked the Sanin. "I guess that now that she's the Fifth Hokage, you're trying to get on her good side, huh?"

"Oh please, she's not the Hokage, yet. Besides, she threatened to beat me to death if I tried to get in. And it's too bad, I could've used that extra money to replace what _you _spent on those women." retorted Naruto, who was still angry about that incident. This caused Jiraiya's guilt to increase after he heard that comment.

"Oh, uh, about that Naruto," he began in a more somber tone, which immediately caught Naruto's full attention. "Look, I just what to say that I'm sorry about the whole money incident. It was a shameful thing for me to do, and I apologize for it. I promise that it won't happen again." And with that, he handed an envelope to Naruto, who realized that it was quite heavy. When he peaked inside, his widened at the sight of several ryo bills.

"What is this?" Naruto asked quietly, still overcome with shock.

"It's all the money I borrowed from you, every last ryo that you started off with at the festival. I made sure that I kept track of how much you had before I spent it." answered Jiraiya. "Also, I'd like to apologize for not being more active in your training. But I want to make it up to you. So after we get back home, how's about I give you some tips on the Rasengan so that you don't have to rely on a shadow clone to perform it?"

Naruto looked at him as if he had grown an extra head. The Pervy Sage had actually apologized for stealing his money, and even paid it all back! Now, he was offering to give him pointers on the Rasengan. The last time he had asked for help, the man had the nerve to demand money in return for his advice.

"What about what you said before, about how I should be able to learn jutsu without getting help from others?" asked the jinchuriki who was watching for the older man's reaction in order to determine if the old pervert was really trying to help, or just messing around with him for a laugh. But to Naruto's surprise, Jiraiya didn't explode with indignance and call him an ungrateful brat. Instead, he just stood there, and even looked somewhat hurt. But that hurt expression was quickly replaced with a smile; a smile that Naruto knew from experience was a fake one.

"Well, even though shinobi should be able to learn things on their own, there's nothing wrong with asking for help when you need it." replied Jiraiya.

"And you promise that you won't get pissed off when I come to you for help, and that you won't charge me for advice?"

"As a shinobi of the Village Hidden in the Leaves, I give you my word." Jiraiya said seriously. Naruto just stared at him, trying to find some sign that the man was lying, but found none.

"I'd like that very much. Thank you, Jiraiya Sensei." answered Naruto. Jiraiya was surprised the boy didn't call him "Pervy Sage" like he normally did. But, he was just glad that he was able to patch things up with his student.

"**DAMMIT! DAMMIT ALL TO HELL!!!" **boomed a very familiar voice. A second later, a very irritated Tsunade stormed out of the casino, followed by a worried Shizune and Tonton. An employee was following them, ordering that Tsunade pay the casino the money that she owed. Her response was punching said man so hard that he plowed through the casino's wall and then later flew through the back of the building. When she saw Naruto and Jiraiya looking at her direction, her anger only increased.

"What the hell are you two gawking at?! Let's just get out of here, I want to reach Leaf before I die of old age!" And with that, she stomped off in the direction of Leaf, with several people on the street giving her plenty of room so as to not provoke the woman's wrath.

Naruto looked to Jiraiya with a scared expression on his face. "Is she always going to be like this?"

"No, not all the time." said Jiraiya. "You just have to have the right timing."

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_On the Road to Leaf _

As the cavalcade continued towards their destination, and after Tsunade had cooled off, the rest of the trip went off without a hitch. They were making great time, and they made very few pit stops. One of those stops was due to Tsunade's gambling addiction, and had to be practically dragged away by the three remaining ninja in order to prevent her from losing more money. But on the rest of those stops, Naruto noticed a change in his Jiraiya's behavior. Not once had he made any perverted remark about Tsunade or tried to score a grope on her. Additionally, whenever they stopped at a rest stop, he didn't try anything with any of the women there. Hell, he didn't even try to peep on the women at the hot springs, and that was his favorite hobby.

'_Something is definitely up with Pervy Sage.' _thought Naruto, as the group reached the last rest stop before they reached the Leaf Village. _'It's as if he's a completely different person. But what could have happened to him to make change like this?'_ He tried to think of some sort of reasonable possibility, but nothing came to him. The only feasible solution that he came up for his dilemma was to talk to someone that knew Jiraiya personally. Unfortunately, the Third Hokage was dead, and there was no way in hell that he would've gone to Orochimaru for answers. That meant that he was only left with Tsunade. '_I just hope that she's not drinking right now.' _he thought as went to find the Slug Princess and get some answers.

He found her on a bench and looking out into space. Figuring that this was the perfect time to talk to her, Naruto spoke up.

"Um, excuse me . . ." was all that Naruto could manage to say before he had to jump out of the way of Tsunade's fist, which collided into a tree and went straight through it.

"Dammit Jiraiya, I knew that you were just biding your time!" screamed the voluptuous kunoichi.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold on now, I'm not Jiraiya!" shouted Naruto, with his hands up in front of him, trying to calm the older woman down. Seeing that it was just the second most irritating male that she knew, Tsunade's anger was instantly replaced with annoyance.

"Oh, it's just you." she said indifferently. "Well, what do you want now, brat? And you better not call me 'old', or else you'll be in the same state as that tree over there."

Naruto silently gulped as he peered through the hole in the tree and was able to see what was behind it. Plucking up courage, Naruto pressed onward.

"It's about Per . . . I mean Jiraiya-Sensei." he began.

"Ugh, that sick pervert. What about him? Don't tell me he went off to do some that 'research' of his." retorted Tsunade.

"No, no, it's nothing like that! It's just that I think that something's wrong with him."

"Kid, I've known Jiraiya for years, and I can safely tell you that there is always something wrong with him."

"Look, I'm not joking around. He's been acting off ever since we left that casino. He hasn't broken into that "Toad Sage" dance since left Tanzaku. You said so yourself that he hasn't even tried to flirt with you. Hell, he hasn't even tried to flirt with, peep, or grope any of the women that we passed by!"

This caught Tsunade's interest; Jiraiya was never one to pass up a free grope, or try and get a young woman to go out with him. Add in the fact the man hadn't even made _**one **_of his cheesy moves made her worried. At first, she thought that he was just waiting for the right time to strike. But, with the information that Naruto had just given her, she began to suspect that something really was amiss with her lecher of a friend.

"Thank you for telling me this, Naruto. I'll talk to your sensei when we get back to the Leaf Village, but I pretty sure that it's nothing. He'll probably be back to his old ways in a week." said the Slug Sanin.

Naruto just smiled. "Thanks, I really appreciate it." he said. Just then, the two blondes heard Jiraiya's voice booming loudly.

"Naruto! Tsunade! Quit dawdling and get a move on already!" Realizing that Jiraiya, Shizune, and Tonton were waiting for them a few feet from where they were, Naruto and Tsunade raced to catch up. Once they caught to them, Tsunade couldn't keep her mind off of Jiraiya. From the day that they were put onto the same team to the day they fought Hanzo from the Hidden Rain Village, Jiraiya was always the same in her opinion: a shameless pervert that was willing to hit on any attractive woman he sees.

When she began her relationship with Dan, she had noticed that Jiraiya had become more withdrawn and had stopped asking her for dates. During that time, she had just put his behavior off as an unsuccessful way to make her jealous and then dump her boyfriend to start dating him. She found out that wasn't the case when Dan died in the line of duty. Sure, he was there for her whenever she needed a shoulder to cry on, but he had never tried anything else on her. But when she was reunited with him almost a week ago, he was back to his old self, as if nothing had happened. Now after hearing Naruto's report about Jiraiya, she began to suspect that something serious was troubling her friend.

'_It's happening all over again.'_ she thought. _'When I saw him again at that bar, I thought that he had finally gotten out of that slump. But if what Naruto said is true, then something is seriously wrong with him. Maybe this time, I can finally find out what's causing him to act like this.' _And with that, Tsunade followed the group onwards to her old home, and her grandfather's legacy. Only this time, she would be coming back as the Fifth Hokage.

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**AN: So there you have it, another update. Sorry that it took so long, but college can be a pain sometimes. Hope you all enjoyed your Christmas gift. Feel free to R&R. Happy Holidays Everyone!**


	3. The Catalyst

**A Change in Plans **

**I don't own anything! **

'_Blah'_- inner thoughts

"Blah"** -** talking

'_**Blah' **_- demon/monster speaking

"**Blah" -** jutsu being performed

"**BLAH"** - really angry yelling

**### **- scene change

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**Chapter 3: The Catalyst **

_The Leaf Village _

When Tsunade had left the Village Hidden in the Leaves along with her deceased lover's niece, she had vowed to never return her old home. After losing both her little brother and boyfriend, Tsunade had lost all love for her home. Yet here she was, standing underneath the Hokage Monument, and looking out towards the entire village.

"I can't believe how much Leaf has changed. It's been so long." the sanin said quietly, as a small smile appeared on her face. "But I'll soon be up to date with all of the new changes, now that I'm it protector. From this day on, I am the Fifth Hokage!"

Behind her were the two senior advisors of the late Third Hokage, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado, two chunin that went by the names of Genma Shiranui and Aoba Yamashiro, as well as Jiraiya, Shizune with Tonton, and Naruto.

"I can't believe that you actually succeeded in convincing her to accept the position." Homura said to Jiraiya quietly.

"Of course! All it took was a few words from the Wise and All-Powerful Toad Sage! No woman can resist my charming good looks!" the toad sanin replied with a hearty laugh.

Naruto just looked at the veteran shinobi as if he had reverted into a one-year-old.

'_Huh, this coming from the man who was poisoned without taking notice. Talk about being full of hot air.' _thought Naruto. Yet for some reason, Jiraiya's laughter seemed to be a bit forced to the blonde boy. Naruto decided to look into that a bit later, when the time was right.

Koharu, having enough of watching Tsunade reminisce on old memories, decided to get straight to business.

"We must notify the Fire Daimyo right away and begin the preparations for your formal induction ceremony." she said in an authoritative voice. She then turned to face the chunin that we present. "Genma, Aoba, alert the villagers that their new leader has arrived." As soon as the two chunin vanished to complete the task given to them, she then turned to the new Fifth Hokage. "Meanwhile, you must attend a mandatory meeting to discuss your duties as well as other certain _conflicts_ that you will require your judgment, Tsunade."

Tsunade noticed the emphasis on "conflicts", and had a pretty good idea what would be the main topic that these old farts wanted to talk about. But before she could reply, Naruto spoke up.

"Wait a minute, wait a minute! Tsunade has some patients that she has to take care of first!" exclaimed Naruto.

"Oh yeah…I did say that I would do that. Jiraiya, who are they again?" said Tsunade sheepishly, while mentally thanking the little brat for giving her an excuse for postponing the meeting.

"Gah, I've told you just before we entered the village. It's Kakashi Hatake, Sasuke Uchiha, as well as Mighty Guy's student, Rock Lee." said an annoyed Jiraiya.

"They can wait. Your duties as Hokage take priority over anything else." said Homura sternly. He was quickly silenced by a stern glare from Tsunade.

"Let's get a few things straight, _councilors_. I agreed to take up this position in order to protect this village and its people: both shinobi and citizen. That includes the wounded and the sick. And furthermore, now that I am the Hokage, _I _get the final say on what needs to be done in this village. Your jobs are to provide advice when needed, _not _to dictate what the Hokage _can _and _can't _do."

Koharu, not used to being talked back to in such a manner, immediately made her displeasure apparent to everyone.

"Now, see here, Tsunade," she began, "we are…"

"Or are you implying," interrupted Tsunade, who was trying her best to restrain herself from punching that pompous old bitch all the way to the Hidden Stone Village, "that you would gladly put three exceptional shinobi, two of which posses the sharingan, at risk just so that you two can put me through some trivial council proceedings that can be done at any other time?"

The two arrogant councilors were now starting to wish that they had kept their mouths shut. When she saw that they weren't going to answer the question, Tsunade pressed on. "I didn't think so. The next time that you two want to play politics, just remember that my word is _law. _And I will _not _tolerate anyone trying to tell me otherwise."

And with that, Tsunade walked off towards the stairs leading to the bottom level, followed closely by Jiraiya, Naruto, and Shizune, leaving two stunned senior councilors behind. As soon as they were alone, they made their way towards the stairs, all the while whispering to each other.

"Perhaps we made a mistake in allowing Jiraiya to convince Tsunade into becoming Hokage." said Koharu in a hushed tone.

"Yes, well, we both thought that Jiraiya would've just given up after a week into his wild goose chase." muttered Homura.

"True, but perhaps we were too hasty in selecting a sanin as Leaf's leader."

"You can't be implying that _he _should've been named Hokage, are you?"

"I'm just saying, if _he _had a more favorable career as a shinobi, then I would have been more than happy to nominate _him_ as our new leader."

"Well, unfortunately for both of us, Tsunade is the Hokage. So now well never know how it could've been. And if you want to keep your life, I suggest that you put an end to whatever schemes you're concocting for the future." Homura said gruffly.

"So that's it? You're really willing to put your position and your council privileges in the hands of some delusional woman? Are you willing to let her take away the power that you've held for years on a mere whim!" said an irate Koharu, who barely kept herself in check.

"No, but what can we do about it? It is up to the Fifth Lady to decide our fates, at least for now. We'll give her a trial run, and see how she reacts to the day-to-day requirements of her new title, as well as her stance on Uzumaki. If we find her actions ineffective, then we'll make further plans on how to replace Tsunade with _him_." replied Homura.

"Agreed." said Koharu, before the two scheming councilors began to make their way towards the Hokage Tower.

**333 **

_With Tsunade and Company _

As the four ninja made it to the bottom of the stairs, Tsunade saw a scarred chunin that seemed awfully familiar, and boy about the same age as Naruto that looked almost exactly like the chunin. When the boy saw the approaching group, he immediately perked up once he saw who was behind Tsunade.

"Naruto, is that you?" asked the boy. "What are you doing here?"

Naruto, recognizing the boy, quickly got to the side of Tsunade, so as to be able to see who he was talking to.

"What am _I_ doing here?" said Naruto. "I should be asking _you _that Shikamaru. The only thing that's down here is the ninja registry office. So, why are you here?"

Shikamaru face then took on a slightly embarrassed look. "Things…just got a bit more complicated." was the lazy genin's reaction.

While this little exchange was going on, the scarred chunin known as Shikaku Nara was paying attention to the two sanin that were before him.

"Lady Tsunade, Master Jiraiya, it's good to see the both of you again." said Shikaku with a slight bow.

It took a while for Tsunade to recognize the ninja that was before her. When the memory finally came to her, she couldn't believe who it was that was standing right in front of her.

"Shikaku Nara? You're all grown up! And is that…your kid! I can see that he's the spitting image of you. I wonder if he's inherited your trademark laziness as well." This got a small chuckle out of the elder Nara. "By the way, you better be taking good care of your clan's deer. Their horns make excellent ingredients for medicine."

"Of course, Lady Tsunade." was Shikaku's reply.

Shikamaru, who was listening in on the conversation, began to feel annoyed with the slug sanin. He had only met her, and she was already sounding more and more like his loud and bossy teammate, Ino Yamanaka.

"Hey, Naruto," whispered Shikamaru, "who is this bossy young woman?"

"She's going to be the new Hokage, and Tsunade is the same age as Pervy Sage." whispered Naruto in response. This earned a shocked expression from the young Nara instead of his normal calm and bored look that seemed to always adorn his face.

"Well then, if you'll excuse me, I'm needed at the hospital. It was nice seeing you again." said Tsunade as she continued her way to the hospital.

"See you later, Shikamaru." said Naruto as he and the rest of the group followed after the older blonde, leaving father and son alone.

"Just great, this is just what this village needs, a woman as Hokage." said Shikamaru with a heavy sigh.

"That's not just any woman, Shikamaru, she is the only kunoichi of the Legendary Sanin." replied Shikaku.

"Yeah, well that still doesn't put my mind at ease. Girls are loud and confusing to understand. They try to manipulate things to their liking all the time, and they think that they're always in control of everything you do." And at that moment, the images of both Sakura and Ino grinning menacingly appeared in the young Nara's mind. "Girls are nothing but trouble." said Shikamaru.

Shikaku just chuckled, as he remembered when he once held the same ideals about women that his son currently had. Apparently, it was a father-son thing that ran in the family. "But Shikamaru, without women, men can't be born." said Shikaku. "Without women, men can't survive. No matter how tough a woman is, they will still show their soft side to the man she loves."

This surprised the young Shikamaru to hear his father say such a thing. After seeing the way his parents interacted with each other everyday, he had thought that his father was just as annoyed of his mother's nagging as he was.

"Now come on." said Shikaku, as he continued to the registry. "Let's get this done, I don't want your mom yelling at me for being out too long."

Shikamaru just sighed, as he followed his father. _'Man, Dad, that's just pitiful. But I guess that's what I should expect form a man who's been whipped…such a drag.'_

**333 **

_In Sasuke's Hospital Room _

Sakura felt terrible, looking at the prone body that was laying on the bed in front of her. It just didn't feel right, seeing Sasuke in this coma-like condition. She, like almost every girl her age, had always seen Sasuke as "Leaf's Golden Boy", a prodigy to end all prodigies. From where she stood, anything was possible for Sasuke, unlike her annoying pest of a teammate. That was why she was in such a state of despair. Just looking at Sasuke lying motionlessly was destroying everything that she once believed in. She reasoned that once Sasuke woke up, everything would go back to the way things were. But how long would it actually be before that happened?

"Excuse me, I'm coming in." was the voice that brought Sakura back to reality. Turning to see who had just spoken, she was greeted by the sight of a young woman with light blonde hair, hazel colored eyes, and an extremely large bust that was the envy of every woman.

'_She's…beautiful.' _thought Sakura. "I…I'm sorry, but who are you?" she asked.

"Her name is Tsunade, and she's the one medic that can wake up Mr. Emo over there." said a very familiar voice. A second later, Naruto walked up into view, smiling his trademark smile.

"Naruto…" said Sakura, who was once again surprised by the turn of events. Here was Naruto, the most irritating ninja to have ever graduated from the Ninja Academy, and had returned with one of the most famous medics of the entire Elemental Countries.

As Sakura's attention was focused on her conscious teammate, Tsunade glanced over to the patient. She also took note of the flowers that were by his bedside. _'So, this boy must be really important to this girl. There's one flower here that seems older than the other. She must come to visit him every day.' _she thought.

Sakura then turned her attention back to her senior kunoichi. "Lady Tsunade, I've heard of your reputation from Guy Sensei. I beg of you, please help Sasuke." she pleaded. Tsunade noticed the anxiety in the young girl's tone.

Tsunade just gave her a bright smile. "Don't worry, leave everything to me." she said, before turning her attention to her patient. Tsunade placed her right palm on Sasuke's forehead, and began to focus her chakra to start the Mystical Palms jutsu in order to repair the mental damage that the young Uchiha endured. Sakura just looked on in amazement, tears beginning to form in her eyes as Tsunade worked on. After what seemed to be a few seconds, Tsunade stopped the flow of chakra and turned back around to face Sakura.

"Don't worry, he's made a complete recovery." said Tsunade. As if on cue, a groggy moan was heard from the hospital bed, which was soon followed by Sasuke slowing raising up into a sitting position on the bed.

"SASUKE! You're all right!" was his only warning before Sasuke was engulfed in huge hug, courtesy of Sakura. "I was so worried about you." she said, as she finally let the tears that she had been holding back flow loose. Her silent sobbing soon filled the room.

"Sasuke…you…" began Naruto, trying miserably to at least say something to focus his attention on anything but the sight that was before him. Just looking at the two in that position was tearing him up inside. It just wasn't fair; no matter what he did, no matter how hard he tried, no matter how many amazing feats he accomplished, Sakura never once seemed to care. She was always admiring Sasuke, always saying how wonderful he was, always trying to get him to go out on a date with her. And yet, Sasuke just either ignored her or just spurned her advances. He thought that maybe by now, Sakura would've realized that Sasuke wasn't interested in her. But after hearing her confession to "Sasuke" during team placements, Naruto had to accept that Sakura's heart would always belong to Sasuke, no matter what happened. With a sad smile, Naruto left the room to give the couple some time alone.

Tsunade, who had been observing how the entire scene play out before her, just watched as Naruto left the room, feeling a little sorry for him. _'Huh, it seems that Naruto is more mature than he makes himself to be. Still, given the current circumstances, it must have been hard for him.' _she thought. After giving one last look at Sakura hugging the still dazed Uchiha, Tsunade left to treat her next patient, Kakashi Hatake.

**333 **

_With Naruto _

Naruto walked towards the exit of the hospital, deep in thought. As he was walking, doctors and nurses were bustling about attending to their patients, all the while shooting Naruto dirty looks whenever they got the chance. Naruto paid no attention to them, as he had long ago learned to just pretend that he didn't see them. But they still hurt, despite his attempts to ignore them. As he trudged out of the hospital and back onto the main walkway, Naruto began to think about everything that he went through from his first day at the academy to where he was now.

When he had first entered the academy, he had high hopes that he would be able to finally learn from people that wouldn't treat him like garbage. That idea was immediately crushed once he stepped into homeroom. The teachers did everything in their power to flush Naruto from the program. They would purposely ask him questions that only jonins were capable of answering, taught him the wrong way of performing taijutsu katas and ninjutsu, even bribing a gang of delinquent third year students to beat him up. Anything that they could get away with they did. And when the graduation exam came around, the passing jutsu was always the one jutsu that was his absolute worst. It had took a backstabbing traitor and his own determination to learn the Shadow Clone Jutsu in order for him to finally graduate.

Then came the time he spent with his team. His experience with Squad Seven was not anything that he had expected. Sasuke was nothing more but an arrogant bastard that believed that everyone else was lower than him. And it didn't help his ego that he always seemed to gain the favor of the villagers and the older shinobi. Then there was Kakashi, the team's "sensei". Their first encounter and bell test was a little rough at first, Naruto would definitely admit, but he had hoped that they would eventually hammer out the rough spots as time went on. That proved to be another mistake on his part.

'_Kakashi always made sure that all of my mistakes were made apparent to me and everyone else. Yet he never once offered any pointers on how to correct them. And then there was the Chunin Exams.' _he thought. _'He chose to train Sasuke in Bushy Brow's taijutsu style, the one that__** Sasuke**__ copied and stole, and then he taught him his own personal jutsu, the Chidori. While this goes on, he traded me off to some closet perv for some more chakra control exercises. I mean, what the hell! Did he really think chakra control exercises would help against Neji Hyuga? Or did he think that I had no chance against Neji? And when I tried to warn him about Gaara's problem when Sasuke was fighting him, he just put me off as some kid making up unbelievable stories.'_

Then when it came down to the last member of the team, Sakura, the girl that was currently his crush. Or at least, was supposed to be. _'She was so cute and kind when we were younger. A little bit weepy, but she was still nice. That's why I was so happy to see that she was going to be in the same class as me at the academy.' _But, she wasn't the same girl that he once knew. Gone was the shy, gentle girl that seemed to cry easily. She was now one of the many girls that lusted over the ever-so-smug Sasuke Uchiha. During their team introductions, she was pretty clear on how much of her future ninja career was mainly focused around the broody heir, and how she absolutely hated him. Then there were the multiple times that she would hit the blonde for simple reasons like asking her out, doing things that she considered annoying, and of course, saying anything bad about Sasuke. To make matters worse, she would also take every chance she could get to belittle him, especially if Sasuke insulted him first, in an attempt to make Sasuke notice her. Most of the time, he would've just put it off as her trying to impress Sasuke, and not really meaning it. But, after a while, there was really only so much that a person could take before they snapped.

"NARUTO!" said the voice that brought him back to the present. In front of him was Iruka Sensei. Looking around from where he was standing, Naruto realized that he had subconsciously walked to Ichiraku's Ramen Bar.

"It's about time you came to your senses. I was calling your name for about a whole minute. Or…don't tell me actually forget about our weekly ramen lunch!" said Iruka, feigning shock.

"Oh, sorry about that, Iruka Sensei." answered Naruto sheepishly, while scratching the back of his head. "I just had a lot on my mind."

"I can tell." said Iruka as he and Naruto walked into the bar and sat on their usual stools. Ayame was there to greet the bar's two most loyal patrons. Iruka ordered two bowls of miso shrimp ramen, while Naruto just ordered a bowl of beef ramen, much to the surprise of everyone.

"Are you sure, Naruto? You know that lunch is on me, right?" said Iruka, worried that something would be wrong with his surrogate little brother.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Iruka Sensei. I'm just not that hungry today." said Naruto with his trademark smile. Even though Iruka had a feeling that Naruto was hiding behind his mask again, he decided to change the subject, knowing that it was best not to try and force him to admit what was really bothering him.

"So, I heard that you just came back from a mission with Master Jiraiya? I take it that it was a success?" asked Iruka.

That seemed like the right thing to say, as Naruto's mood instantly changed for the better. He immediately began to tell Iruka everything: from how he and "Pervy Sage" tried to track down Tsunade, to how he defeated the Sound spy Kabuto with his new jutsu called the Rasengan. Iruka just smiled, impressed at how much his little prankster of a student had grown. True, he still had a long ways to go before he became a legendary ninja, but Naruto had come along way.

"You know, Naruto, you've really grown a lot since you first wanted one of these headbands." said Iruka as he gestured to the Konoha headband that he was wearing.

Naruto looked up from his ramen with a surprised expression adorning his face.

"Really, Iruka Sensei?" he asked.

"Yes, I do. And we need every capable shinobi that's available, now more than ever. The Leaf Village is in trouble, Naruto. The Sand/Sound invasion has done a lot of damage; several Leaf nin had lost their lives defending their home, including the Third Hokage. Yet despite all of that, the village has the same amount of work, if not more, that's required of us to do."

"Well, if we're short-handed, then why don't we just refuse to accept missions? It would take the strain off of our ninja." stated Naruto.

"We can't; the Leaf Village has always kept the balance of power. If we were to turn down a mission, it would give the impression that our village is weak, which will increase the chances that other competing villages will attack us. The situation is so severe that even the Ninja Academy is being closed so that the teachers, including me, can be on call for missions. I have a feeling that your sensei, Kakashi, will be constantly dispatched on missions."

"I…I had no idea that the situation was this bad." said Naruto quietly.

"Look, all that I'm saying is that you should be prepared to prove that you are worthy of that headband, as you will more than likely be sent on more missions than usual." stated Iruka.

Naruto became silent again, he didn't know what to think. He had known that his village had suffered a lot of damage, but he never realized that it was this bad. At first, the thought of being sent on more missions excited him, since it was a chance to see the world, and get paid for helping out clients. But then he thought back to the several issues that he still had his team. And upon looking back at his past experiences, the more unsure of himself he became. Whenever his team went on missions, no matter what he did, it always seemed like he was the one that messed things up; and that was something that either Sakura or Sasuke made sure that he was aware of. Even though Kakashi told him that he messed up only when he made a serious mistake, Naruto could still see frustration and ire in his eye.

"Iruka Sensei," said Naruto in a very quiet voice, "can I ask for your honest opinion about something?"

"Sure, of course you can, Naruto." said Iruka, was a bit put off by Naruto's drastic change in behavior. He had expected his favorite student to be loud and bursting with energy, not quiet and soft-spoken.

"Do you,…" began Naruto, trying to find the right words for what he was about to ask. "Do you think of me as a competent ninja?"

"W-w-what?" said Iruka, not expecting this sort of question to be coming from Naruto.

"I said, do you believe that I can become a decent shinobi?" said the blonde.

"Wha…What brought this question up, Naruto?" asked Iruka, worriedly. Unknown to the two ninjas, both Teuchi and Ayame were listening in on the conversation.

Naruto just kept his eyes on the ramen bowl in front of him. "Well…I've been doing a lot of thinking lately. I know that I wasn't the best student during the academy, and that I did a _lot _of stupid things…but I always thought that if I could just graduate and become a fully instated shinobi that I could turn over a new leaf, and show everyone what I'm truly capable of. Yet, after working with my team for a while, I feel as if everything that I do always backfires in my face. And sometimes when I'm with them, I get the sense that my team doesn't see me as their teammate, but as a constant burden or a fodder. Half the time, I feel like that I'm hardly seen as a ninja by anyone."

Iruka was shocked speechless to hear Naruto talk like this, but decided it was best not to interrupt him. Ayame and her father remained silent as well, not wanting to make the situation worse by revealing that they've been eavesdropping on the personal conversation.

"Did you know, that after Kakashi Sensei passed our genin team and gave us his whole "rule breakers are trash, but ninja who abandon their comrades are lower than trash" speech, that my ownteam just _left_ me tied to the training post without going back to untie me? Or that during our team introductions, Sakura said that the one thing that she hated was me right in front of my face? And then there was the chunin exams; after the preliminaries were over, I went straight to Kakashi Sensei to ask him if he could help me prepare for my match against Neji Hyuga. And you know what he said to me? He said that he couldn't because he had a more pressing matter to attend to, and that he couldn't give me his full attention. Tch, it didn't take a genius to figure out that he was going to train Sasuke. But to make matters worse, he asked that closet perv Ebisu to just help train me on my chakra control. No taijutsu pointers, no ninjutsu training, just plain old chakra control! Like _that _was going to help me gain edge against Neji."

Iruka remained silent, although he was quite disappointed in Kakashi for his way of handling Naruto and Sasuke's training; he could have at least asked someone else to help Naruto, as he knew that his "little brother" and the special jonin didn't really get along very well.

"I try so hard to do my best during missions and training, and yet I feel like that I'm being used as the team's "lowest standard": the one person whose abilities are so crappy that everyone uses him to compare themselves to, just so that they can feel better about themselves. And every time I try to improve myself, it feels like they just turn up their noses, and continue on as if nothing has changed at all."

At this moment, Naruto's grip on the table counter strengthened, as if he was trying his best not to lose his composure. "So,…what I guess I'm trying to ask you is,…do you honestly believe that I can make it as a ninja? Can I really be great, or am I just wasting my time trying to do something that just can't be done?" he asked meekly.

Naruto had always hated being this open with his feelings; he came to accept that it was better to keep his insecurities to himself as a safety precaution against the villagers that were looking for a weak spot to exploit. Even after he had realized that there _were _people that truly cared about him, it was still hard for him to truly open up to them. Suddenly, Naruto felt a soft pressure being applied to his right shoulder. As he looked up, he saw that it was Iruka, smiling kindly at him.

"Naruto, you're being too hard on yourself. No ninja is perfect when they first start their career." said Iruka.

"But what about Kakashi Sensei? He was considered a prodigy when he was younger than me. And everyone considers Sasuke the best "Top Rookie" the Ninja Academy has ever produced. Not to mention that both of them came from ninja families." interjected Naruto.

"True, both Kakashi and Sasuke were talented students when they attended the academy, and their fathers were exceptional ninja when they were alive." started Iruka. "But, that doesn't mean that they're going to be _the _very best of the best. I mean, look at Sasuke; he says that he can beat any opponent just because he's an Uchiha, yet Rock Lee was able to wipe the floor with him during their first encounter, right? And as for Kakashi, wasn't he nearly beaten when he was facing off against Zabuza Momochi, even with his Sharingan revealed?"

"Yeah…yeah, that's true on both counts…"

"So you see, even though they were considered the best in the village, they still faced difficulties when facing unknown opponents. They allowed their arrogance and reputations get the better of them, which nearly cost them dearly. Just because they have exceptional skills doesn't mean that they're automatically the greatest ninjas of the entire Elemental Nations. In fact, I believe that "prodigies" are at more of a disadvantage when they become shinobi."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I do. Because they are so comfortable with their parents' reputation and their own skills, prodigies usually don't have the drive or determination to continue training and improve their skills. I believe that it's the regular shinobi that have the will to work hard, and to always do their best, are the ones that can reach their full potential. In fact, our Fourth Hokage started off as a regular student with no ninja family, and look how he made it as a ninja. You see, there is nothing physically stopping you from becoming a great shinobi. Only thing that's truly stopping you from prospering is your negative thinking; it's all in your head." said Iruka, as he playfully tapped Naruto's covered forehead with his index finger.

"As long as you continue to train hard, there is no limit to what you can achieve. You just have to believe in yourself and never give up on your goals." finished Iruka, with a sincere smile.

Naruto just stared at his academy teacher in astonishment; Iruka _truly _had faith in him. After all of the stunts and pranks he pulled when he was still a student, Iruka still believed that he could be a great ninja. At that moment, Naruto couldn't help but smile.

"Thanks, Iruka Sensei, you don't know how much that means to me." said Naruto. Not a second later, the sound of Naruto's stomach growling was heard by the two ninjas, and the tender atmosphere was gone instantly. Naruto just laughed sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head.

"Heh heh, looks like I was hungry after all. Hey, Teuchi, could I get five more bowls of beef-flavored ramen over here?"

Hearing this new order, both father and daughter hastily, if not awkwardly, got back to work.

"Now there's the appetite that we all know and love." joked Teuchi, hoping that his two favorite customers didn't find out that he and Ayame were eavesdropping. Although, it was a surprise to them to see this sensitive side to Naruto. Sure they knew that he had it rough, and they did help out whenever they got the chance, but they never expected Naruto to be this close to breaking. It was something that they hoped that would never have to see again.

**333 **

_Thirty Minutes Later _

After consuming nine more bowls of ramen. Iruka and Naruto parted ways. Iruka said that he was supposed be meeting someone a bit later. Figuring that it probably had something to do with the academy, Naruto decided to take a stroll around the village to see how far the restoration had progressed while he was away. Along the way, he had the displeasure of walking past several civilians, who openly displayed their contempt for him with the glares and dirty looks they sent towards him. And he could swear that he heard a few of the people he passed by mutter how they "thought that he was gone for good" or "why can't it just leave and never come back?". Deciding that he had enough of listening to these comments, Naruto decided that he should go and see how Sasuke was doing at the hospital.

So with a sigh, Naruto leaped to the roof of the building that was nearest to him, and began to make his way towards the hospital via the roof tops. He always did prefer to travel around the village this way; it was quick, fun, and there were less villagers to deal with.

In a matter of minutes, he was already at the hospital's front entrance. As he walked inside, Naruto walked past the receptionist's desk, since he already knew where Sasuke's room was. That, and he knew that she would've just told him to get out if he had asked her where he could find his teammate's room. Besides, she was reading her gossip magazine, and it would've been rude to disturb her. As he walked down the hall, he tried to think of what he would find once he got there. He hoped that Sakura wasn't there, otherwise he didn't think he could really stay that long. Even though he knew that she absolutely loved him, it still hurt seeing his crush showing her affection to Sasuke. It just seemed as if everything that he wanted life was given to Sasuke on a silver platter.

'_Ugh. stop thinking about that.' _thought Naruto to himself. _'It won't do you any good.' _As he steeled himself, Naruto opened the door and walked inside. The sight that greeted him, however, wasn't one that he was expecting. There was Sasuke sitting up in his bed, looking out of the room's window. Sakura was standing near Sasuke's bed, looking very worried. And for some reason, there was a plate and skinned apple slices on the floor.

'_O-kay, what happened here?' _thought Naruto, as he walked inside and closed the door behind him. The sound of the door clicking shut caused Sasuke to divert his attention from the window to the source of the noise. As soon as he saw who it was, his face immediately took on an extremely dark and heated look that was aimed at Naruto.

"W-what? What is it?" asked Naruto, who was taken aback by the sudden hostility that was being directed towards him.

"Naruto…" stated Sasuke, his face was now looking at the floor, therefore causing his bangs to cover his eyes.

"What…What do you want?" asked Naruto.

"Fight me…now!" ordered Sasuke.

This demand caused Sakura's anxiety to worsen. She was the first to experience Sasuke's abrupt anger, and feared that he was about to do something rash. And now that he challenged Naruto to a fight the minute that he appeared, Sakura had a very bad feeling about what Sasuke was about to do. She just hoped that Naruto would be able to diffuse the situation without it escalating into something worse.

Naruto, sensing the constantly growing tension in the room, tried a more peaceful approach to Sasuke's demand.

"What are you talking about? You're still admitted in the hospital; you need to rest before you-"

"I SAID SHUT UP AND FIGHT ME!" snarled Sasuke. His head shot up to face the blonde, Sharingan eyes glaring at him.

This outburst shocked Naruto and Sakura speechless. Sure, Sasuke was a bit hard to work with at times, but they never expected him to be like this.

'_Sasuke, what's going on? Why are you acting so differently?' _thought Sakura.

Sasuke continued on as he got out of bed. "You think that you helped me? I don't care if she _is _the Fifth Hokage, you shouldn't have gotten her involved with personal business!" snarled the clearly angry Sasuke.

"What was that!" growled Naruto. He had just wanted to check up on his teammate, not be the target of Sasuke's irrational anger. As Sasuke continued to make his way towards him until he was within striking distance of the blonde, Naruto retuned the glare that was focused on him. His blue eyes burned with intensity as they stared directly into Sasuke's Sharingan eyes, as if to show that he wasn't afraid of the infamous kekkei genkai like the other shinobi.

"Sasuke, what are you doing! Naruto, tell him no! Don't do it!" said Sakura frantically, her eyes darting from teammate to teammate.

Naruto just stared at Sasuke, not breaking eye contact. "You'll never let this issue go, unless I agree to fight you, huh?" he said, nonchalantly.

"Hn, took you long enough to figure it out, loser." replied Sasuke, in his demeaning tone.

This only further infuriated Naruto; he was starting to really regret coming here. "Well then what are we waiting for? Let's get this over with." growled the blonde.

Sakura just stared at the two, extremely worried. The tension in the room was so thick, that not even Kakashi's Chidori could cut through it.

"C-come on, you guys, knock it off. Don't fight." said Sakura. This plea, however, was ignored by the two boys.

"Follow me." ordered Sasuke, as he gestured towards the door with his head. He then made his way to the room's exit, stomping on the sliced apple that Sakura had prepared for him. Naruto wasn't far behind him. As Sakura watched her two teammates walk out, she caught a glimpse of the curse mark that Orochimaru had branded onto Sasuke's neck. Just seeing that horrid thing brought back horrible memories of when Sasuke first used its powers, as well as the image of Orochimaru with the burned flesh mask he wore in order to sneak into the chunin exams. Knowing that things could only get worse if she just stayed idle, Sakura dashed after Naruto and Sasuke, hoping that she could somehow stop this fight before things got worse.

**333 **

_With Sasuke and Naruto _

As Naruto followed Sasuke to the hospital's roof, he began to think back to his past experiences with the Uchiha. Sure, they strongly disliked each other, but they usually managed to work some sort of temporary truce when they were on missions. But he had never seen Sasuke this riled up before. Naruto tried to think of a possible reason as to why Sasuke was in such a bad mood, but nothing came. As the two walked through the final doorway that led to the hospital's roof where several sheets were hanging on a clothes line to dry, Naruto suddenly recalled when they were beginning the third round prelims for the chunin exams; particularly about how Sasuke told him that he was one of the few ninja that he wanted to fight.

"Ha!" said Naruto excitedly, as he and Sasuke were facing each other, as if they were in participating in the chunin exams again.

Sasuke, on the other hand, wasn't so cheerful. "Just what the hell are you laughing at! he snarled.

"I'm not laughing, Sasuke, I'm just excited. After all this time, I finally have a chance to pay you back for every time you beat during our team's sparring matches."

Those very words were all that were needed for Sasuke to remember his last encounter with Itachi, and how he was more interested in the blonde idiot than him. It pissed him off to no ends at the mere thought: his family's murderer didn't consider him to be a threat at all.

"What did you say? Stop talking nonsense, loser!" snarled Sasuke.

"I'm not the same person that you thought I was, Uchiha. I've changed a lot since I became a ninja!" retorted Naruto.

This only proved to make Sasuke even angrier, as he remembered how Itachi had said that he wasn't interested in him at all. Him, that bastard's own brother!

"Just who do you think you are! You couldn't even pass the academy's graduation exam without receiving extra help. You were a complete loser then, and you're a complete loser now. Nothing has changed at all!" shouted Sasuke.

Naruto wanted shout back an insult, but decided to choose a different tactic. "What's the matter, Sasuke? You've never lost your cool this easily before. Don't tell me that you're actually regretting challenging me to this fight."

"Just shut up and bring it!"

"Alright, alright, just but on your headband before we start. Go on, I'll wait."

"Hn, I don't need it." grunted Sasuke.

"Will you just put it on!"

"There won't be any need for it; you won't be able to even scratch my forehead!" snarled Sasuke, as he pointed to his forehead with his thumb. At this moment, Sakura managed to catch up to her two teammates and was watching the whole drama unfold from the doorway.

"That's not the point!" shouted Naruto, as he gestured to his own headband, "This headband is symbol that shows that we are fighting as comrades, as equals!"

"Where did you think you get off, huh! You actually think for a second that you are my equal!"

"Of course I do. I know for a fact that I was _never _your inferior, EVER!

"You're starting to really piss me off, you low-life, piece of trash!" roared Sasuke, as his Sharingan eyes began to spin wildly.

"That just proves that even with your Sharingan and clan's reputation, you're nothing but a weak little boy!" shouted Naruto.

"NARUTO!"

"SASUKE!"

Without wasting a second, the two combatants charged towards each other. Just as they were close enough, they both threw a right punch hoping to get the first shot in. But they both managed to catch the attack before any damage could be done, resulting in a stalemate with each fighter struggling to push the other back. Taking advantage of the his opponent's opening, Sasuke lashed out with a quick right round house kick, only for Naruto dodge it and catch his leg. Naruto then started to spin Sasuke around by the leg in attempt to toss him. Thinking quickly, Sasuke slammed his hands on the ground and lashed out with a reverse kick which slammed into Naruto's chest, causing him to lose his grip on the leg and to fly back in the air from the impact. Using his momentum, Naruto flipped forward, and allowed gravity to pull him back towards the ground, with a right punch cocked and ready to nail Sasuke. Sasuke just side-stepped at the last possible moment to let Naruto pass by, before he grabbed hold of Naruto's arm and threw him towards the ground, before charging at him again. Naruto landed on his feet, but didn't have time to come up with a counter attack, as Sasuke was immediately on him, throwing punch after punch in a mad display of speed. Naruto was focused on blocking the punches that he didn't see the right round kick Sasuke sent towards him, until it smashed into his face, causing him into one of the laundry lines that had sheets hanging off of them. Naruto landed with a crash, with one of the sheets to falling on him and completely concealing him.

Not one to let up, Sasuke ran towards the sheet, and gave it a hard yank so that he could continue to put the blonde in his place. But instead of seeing Naruto, the Uchiha was surprised to see that nothing was underneath the sheet. His Sharingan eyes widened in shock for a brief moment, before they darted around trying to locate his opponent. As he looked around the roof, he could only see the many sheets that were dancing in the slight breeze that was blowing through the area, until one sheet further ahead of Sasuke suddenly flap out as if someone shook it rigorously. Sasuke saw this, but didn't immediately charge towards it; he wasn't going to do something foolish like Naruto usually did. Instead, he leapt up into the air, in hopes of trying to spot the blonde from up above. As he got higher up, the sun's rays caught his eye, causing him to look up and catch the silhouette of Naruto standing on top of a water tank. However, the sun's rays were too bright for Sasuke, making him squint his eyes for a moment. It was that moment that Naruto was waiting for. Naruto jumped off the water tank and shot towards Sasuke, landing a hard right punch on Sasuke's cheek, resulting in him falling down, head first, towards that ground.

This turn of events only served to worsen Sasuke's growing rage. Now more than ever, he wanted beat this loser down into the ground, to show that he was _his _superior. Upon seeing the fence that he was heading towards, Sasuke flipped so that he landed on the fence's top, before launching himself towards Naruto, who was still falling down to the ground.

"Don't get so overconfident!" shouted Sasuke, as he launched his attack on Naruto. The blonde didn't see the attack coming until it was too late. Sasuke's fist slammed into Naruto's chin, causing him crash into one of the line of drying sheets before he managed to land on his feet. Not wasting any time, Naruto dashed down the rows of drying sheets, with Sasuke right beside him. The two fighters ran on, both trying to gain more ground on their opponent, waiting for the right time to strike. With his patience already running thin, Sasuke lashed out towards one of the sheets, which made Naruto flinch at the sudden movement, giving the Uchiha enough time to land hard side kick on his opponent. The force of the blow made Naruto fly back, with the sheet still on top of him, until he crashed into the chain-link fence. Still wanting to drive is superiority even further into the idiot's head, Sasuke hoisted the sheet covered Naruto up before continuing his assault, striking him with one punch after another, gaining satisfaction from hearing grunts of pain with every punch he landed on the blonde.

'_N-Naruto…' _thought Sakura as she watched on with terror and worry. She couldn't believe that Sasuke would go this far, and that their team dynamic had deteriorated this far. Just hearing Naruto's pained shouts, and seeing Sasuke being so brutal to an opponent that was at a disadvantage, made her flinch away from the scene in front of her. But it was the sound of a loud _**THWACK **_that brought her attention back to fight, just in time to see Sasuke being forced into the air and Naruto with his right leg extended upward, indicating that he had managed to land a kick on Sasuke while enduring his onslaught.

"What the hell is your problem!" snarled Naruto, as he leapt onto the fence's top, before leaping into the air in order to gain an advantage over the Uchiha. Sasuke mimicked Naruto in order to face him head on. As he got close enough, Naruto attacked first with a right jab, only for Sasuke to evade and retaliate with a left jab of his own. Sasuke immediately followed with a right round kick, which Naruto blocked at the last moment. Desperate to get in one last strike, Sasuke used his momentum from his last kick to spin around and land a quick axe kick on Naruto's left shoulder, which made the blonde accelerate towards the ground as Sasuke himself began to feel the effects of gravity.

The two combatants both landed on the ground, panting and staring at each other hard, determined not to let the other beat them.

'_Why? Why is it that this loser won't give up already? And why is it so hard to beat him! Have I really fallen that far behind!' _thought Sasuke, angrily with his Sharingan never losing sight of his opponent.

'_That look;' _thought Naruto, _'It's always that same look that he and everyone else gives me. That look of frustration, as if they can't stand the fact that I'm improving, as if they expect me to always to be weak! Well, no more!' _

Not wasting any more time, Naruto brought up his hands to form the hand sign that both of his teammates knew all to well.

"**Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!" **roared Naruto, before the entire area around him was engulfed by smoke. When it subsided, Sasuke found himself to be completely surrounded by at least a hundred of Naruto's. An instant later, they charged, intent on finally knocking the Uchiha down a peg or two. To Sasuke, this was nothing new as he was very familiar with Naruto's "charge blindly en masse and see if you hit your opponent" strategy, and went to work dispelling numerous clones with several punches and kicks combined with fancy maneuvers. Soon, plumes of smoke filled the area. Despite all this, Naruto remained patient, he had to find the perfect moment when Sasuke was completely vulnerable to unleash his attack. Luckily, he didn't have to wait for long, as he saw his chance when Sasuke delivered a twin mule kick to two unfortunate clones, whilst standing upside down on his hands. Before Sasuke could do anything to defend himself, three clones charged towards him before getting into a slide.

"**NA! RU! TO!…" **shouted the three clones, as each of their kicks slammed into the Uchiha, launching him into the air, while another clone leapt into the air as well. Unfortunately, Sasuke had managed to get his guard up before their kicks could do the full amount of damage. Knowing what was about to come next, Sasuke began to run through the hands signs for one of his most favorite jutsus as the clone that was behind him was homing in on him.

"**UZUMAKI BARRAGE!" **roared the clone as he brought his leg down for the finishing axe kick. Said kick, however, was blocked by Sasuke's elbow, before he rolled away from the blocked strike, effectively shoving the Naruto clone down towards the ground and gaining the high ground (**AN: or high air, which ever you prefer)**. But it was at that moment, Naruto noticed the last hand sign that Sasuke went through.

'_What the? _thought Naruto._ 'The Tiger seal! That means only one thing. But at this range, he'll…'_

"**Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu!" **was Naruto's only warning before he and his clones where met with a large burst of flame that engulfed the entire area that was below Sasuke. As the flames flickered and burned, the sheets were completely incinerated, and there were shouts of "Yow!" and "Too hot!" followed by several poofs within the flames.

"No! Naruto!" screamed Sakura, as she watched her crush burn her other fight had now gotten completely out of hand; one of her teammates killed another one, and she was too late to stop them. Suddenly, she noticed that the flames were starting swirl around in a spiral, and that there was faint whirling sound that was gradually getting louder. Sasuke noticed this too, and began to wonder what was causing his fire jutsu to behave so strangely.

Slowly but surely, the flames began to spiral and dissipate. And as the last of the flames vanished, there stood Naruto with a perfect, swirling Rasengan. Naruto didn't want to use his latest jutsu, as he wanted it to be a surprise. But since he had no time to evade Sasuke's fire jutsu, he was forced to his "trump card" sooner than he would have liked to. Luckily, Jiraiya had given him some pointers on how to perform the jutsu one-handed. Seeing that the flames were gone, he was planning to cancel it out. Sasuke, however, took Naruto's new jutsu differently, thinking that he was going on the offense.

'_What the hell is that! _thought Sasuke angrily. _'It completely nullified my Fire Ball Jutsu! Just how has this nobody gotten so powerful! It's as if he's mocking me and my clan! I won't let him get away with this!' _

His anger now reaching to new levels, Sasuke wanted nothing more than to destroy this pathetic excuse of a shinobi that dared to tarnish his reputation. Without a second's delay, he grasped his left wrist and began to channel lightning chakra to his hand.

"Take this, loser! **Chidori! One Thousand Birds!**" His hand was instantly covered in lightning-powered chakra as he descended towards Naruto, intending on putting him down for good. Naruto, on the other hand, was shocked that Sasuke was going to attack him with Kakashi Sensei's signature assassination attack.

'_Just what the hell is he thinking!' _raged Naruto mentally, knowing that he had to act fast. He knew that there was only one way to deal with his current situation; face the jerk's Chidori head on with his own Rasengan. So with a chakra-enhanced jump, Naruto leapt into the air, Rasengan ready to strike.

"N-no…Stop it…" said Sakura desperately, horrified at what she was seeing. She knew that she had to do something to stop Naruto and Sasuke from killing each other, but she had no idea what to do.

"Stop! Stop fighting!" she shouted again in vain. It was painfully obvious to Sakura that both Sasuke and Naruto had far surpassed her in the skills department. But just the sight of her two comrades at each other's throats was to much for her emotionally.

With tears beginning to form in her eyes, desperate to stop this horrible fight, Sakura rushed out of the doorway. She raced towards where the two were going to clash.

"STOP!" hollered Sakura, as she stood in between the two, in an attempt to act as a mediator. Unfortunately, her teammates were both unable to alter their course. It looked as if Sakura was going to die by their hands.

Luckily for Sakura, salvation came in the form of none other than Kakashi Hatake. The moment he appeared, his hands snapped to Sasuke and Naruto's respective wrists, and threw them away from Sakura. As the combatants were flying towards two water columns, Kakashi managed to catch a glimpse of what was in Naruto's hand. As for Sasuke and Naruto, seeing that they were both about collide into a water column, they aimed their respective jutsus in front of them in order to lessen the impact.

**BAM! **

**BAM! **

"OW!"

"UGH!"

"Just what is going on here! Don't you two think that was a little intense for a simple sparring match? What's wrong with you two?" asked Kakashi.

Naruto was trying to recover from the jolt of colliding with a metal water tower, his right hand was now in the center of a medium-sized circular dent from where his Rasengan made contact. As he moved his hand away from the indenture, a small stream of water began to flow out of the hole that was in the center.

'_That proves it.' _thought Kakashi. _'That jutsu was none other than the Rasengan. But how did Naruto master such a jutsu?' _

Meanwhile, Sasuke was trying free his left arm, which was firmly jammed through his water column. The looked as if a cannonball was shot through where Sasuke's arm was, with the edges around the entry point wrinkled and crumbled. With one final yank, Sasuke ripped his arm out of the column, allowing the water to gush out of the newly-made hole. Sasuke then looked to where Naruto landed, and saw the small dent that the loser made as well as the small stream of water that was escaping. Sasuke just smirked arrogantly at the little damage that Naruto did to his water column, as it was clear to him whose jutsu was stronger, and who would have come out on top if the fight wasn't interrupted. Suddenly, he felt a presence up above him, and he saw that it was Kakashi sitting atop the water column he had attacked. And from the expression on his face, it looked as if his sensei was angry with him.

"What were you thinking, Sasuke? Were you really trying to kill your teammate just then?" said Kakashi sternly. Seeing that he wasn't going to get a response, he continued on. "You've really got to watch that sense of superiority you have." That got a glare out of his student.

"That Chidori wasn't the size that you would aim at a comrade from Leaf. When are you going to grow up?" continued Kakashi, while his mind was trying to think of a reason why his student was acting like this. _'Could his last encounter with Itachi really get him this riled up?' _he thought.

Naruto, who had been listening the whole time, was furious. Did his own teammate really try to kill him? He had originally thought that this spar was going to smooth out some differences that were going on between them. But that all changed when Sasuke had used his Chidori. Even though he knew that it was probably in response to his revealing of the Rasengan, he wasn't going to use it on Sasuke.

Sakura just looked uneasily between Naruto and Sasuke. All of this was happening too fast for her. The very idea that her two comrades just tried to kill each other right in front of her own eyes was too much to handle. Despite her efforts, she could feel her tears starting to surface.

Sasuke didn't show any reaction to his sensei's comment, and just back flipped over the roof's guard fence with a grunt of annoyance. But as he landed on the wooden canopy of a window that was few feet below the water tanks with a small splash, he realized that there was a lot of water on the canopy's surface. This confused Sasuke, as he was pretty sure that the water from his damaged water column couldn't have reached this far, and he knew that the tank Naruto hit just had a little hole in it. His thoughts were quickly interrupted when a drop of water hit him the cheek. Sasuke looked up to see where the drop had come from. The sight that met his eyes, however, was something that he had never expected to see.

The back of the water column that Naruto struck had a huge gaping hole in it. The hole was probably at least twice his size and its edges were sticking out as if some gigantic drill burst out it. Sasuke's shock quickly morphed into quivering rage, as he realized just who would've won the fight.

"DAMN IT!" snarled Sasuke, as he pounded his fist against the building's metal siding. _'Naruto…' _thought Sasuke, _'…just how strong have you become?' _

All this didn't escape the sharp eye of Kakashi. As he looked back towards his remaining student, he saw that Sakura was trying her best to fight back the tears, but was failing miserably. He then looked at Naruto, who was still glaring at the spot the Sasuke once occupied.

'_How did it all come to this?' _thought Kakashi with a sigh. "Was it you who taught Naruto that jutsu?" he said aloud. To any bystander, it looked as if Kakashi was talking to some imaginary friend. Only those with ninja training would have been able to tell that he was actually talking to the new chakra signature that was behind the now-drained water column.

"He is still too young to handle a jutsu that powerful." he continued. "He could have killed Sasuke. Even if it is for protection against the Akatsuki, Naruto is still…"

"Heh, you're a fine one to talk." interrupted Jiraiya from his place behind the tank. "If I recall correctly, _**you're **_the one who taught Sasuke the Chidori. I knew that Sasuke was a hot-head, but I would've never thought that he would use your own jutsu to strike down a fellow Leaf nin."

Even though he didn't show it, Kakashi mentally flinched at that remark.

"Am I missing something here? Did something happen to invoke this much bad blood between those two?" the Toad Sage asked.

"Oh, it's nothing that hasn't been seen before." answered Kakashi coolly.

"Meaning what?" asked Jiraiya seriously.

"Oh, come now. Don't tell me that you have already forgotten your old rivalry between Orochimaru? You old relationship with your former comrade isn't much different than the one Sasuke and Naruto currently have." replied Kakashi.

Jiraiya just snorted in irritation; it always bugged him when someone reminded him of his old rivalry with the traitorous snake nin.

"I see…" was his only reply.

While the two elder shinobi were having their conversation about rivalries, Naruto was silently seething at what he had heard his sensei say about him.

"_I could've killed Sasuke! I'm not ready for such a technique! Is __**that **__all he has to say!' _raged Naruto. _'Does he really have that little faith in me! I managed to master the Rasengan faster than the Fourth Hokage, and Kakashi Sensei just says that I'm not old enough to handle! And then he criticizes me for using it to defend myself against that bastard Sasuke's Chidori! Oh sure, he believes that Sasuke is __**more**__ than ready to handle his own assassination jutsu, despite the fact that the damn Uchiha was going to use it to kill me! Yet when I use the Rasengan to defend myself, he sees it as the worst crime a shinobi can every commit! God, he is such a frickin' , favorite-playing, hypocrite!" _

"Naruto…" was what brought the blonde out of his internal ranting. Naruto jumped when he realized that Jiraiya was standing right behind him.

"P-p-pervy Sage, how long have you been there?" asked the young genin, who was a bit upset with himself for not realizing that some one was behind him all of this time. He also noticed that Kakashi was no longer around.

"Long enough to see your little death match against Sasuke." said Jiraiya seriously.

"Y-you mean, you saw everything?" said Naruto worriedly. His uneasiness only increased when the Toad Sage nodded his head, the serious expression never leaving his face.

"Jiraiya Sensei, I'm so sorry about everything! But you have to believe me, I was never planning on attacking Sasuke with that Rasengan! I only used it to counter that bastard's Fire Ball Jutsu, I was going to deactivate it once the flames were doused out completely! If Sasuke had never used that Chidori, I would have never meet his charge with it! I wasn't going to use it to kill him, despite what Kakashi Sensei believes."

"Now hold on there," said Jiraiya, cutting Naruto off. "I said that I saw _everything_, Naruto. I know that you were acting in self defense against the Chidori, but I don't think you fully comprehend just how deadly the Rasengan is."

"What are you talking about! My Rasengan only managed to put a dent in this water tank," said Naruto as he pointed to said tank, "while Sasuke managed to jab his entire arm through his!"

"Sheesh! You really are slow at the basics." dead-panned Jiraiya.

"WHAT WAS THAT!"

"I meant what I said." said Jiraiya as he led him towards the water tank that he struck. "You let your emotions get the better of you, which often causes you to miss things that are right in front of you." he finished as he pointed to the large hole in the back of the tank.

As Naruto looked to see what he was pointing at, his eyes widened in disbelief at the sight that greeted him. At first he thought he was seeing things, but as he got closer to the large hole, he realized that what was in front of him was completely genuine.

"Did…did I really do this?" asked Naruto, in disbelief.

"Yes, you did, Naruto." replied Jiraiya solemnly. "You see, even though the Chidori has the power to slice through its target, the Rasengan "grinds" anything that comes in contact with it. As you can see, this effect is much more dangerous when it strikes an object that contains water within it, including the human body."

"But I was never intending on hitting Sasuke with the Rasengan in the first place." retorted Naruto, in an annoyed tone. "I keep telling you that…"

"I know, I know," said Jiraiya in a placating manner, "but if someone else was watching that fight, they might have come to other conclusions."

Naruto glowered, as the Konoha Council and just about every villager came to mind. He knew that no matter the circumstances, they were always looking for ways to kick him out of the ninja program, banish him, or worse, execute him. And if any of them had gotten a whiff of what had just recently happened, he had no doubts that they would have used this to their advantage.

Seeing the angry expression his student's face, Jiraiya knew that had finally gotten his message across to Naruto, judging by his angry scowl.

"I'm not telling you to stopping using the Rasengan, Naruto." added the Toad Sage. "I'm just saying that you should be more careful whenever you use that jutsu in a fight. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a meeting with Tsunade that I must attend to." And with that, the toad sanin left via Body Flicker.

Now that he was alone, Naruto walked back around the water tank platform, heading towards the hospital roof's exit. Along the way, he spotted Sakura staring off into the distance. It was only when he landed after jumping off from the platform did her attention focus onto him. Now, Naruto was still angry with what Sasuke tried to do, and with Kakashi's remarks about his new jutsu. And given his past experiences with the girl, he really did feel like dealing with her.

'_Hmph, she probably wants to clobber me for nearly killing her precious Sasuke.' _thought Naruto, as got closer towards the door. When he saw Sakura approaching him, he tried to just ignore her. Despite this plan, Sakura still tried to talk to him.

"Naruto…" she began.

"Not now, Sakura, I'm not in the mood." said Naruto as briskly as he could while trying to mask most of his anger.

Sakura was momentarily put off by Naruto's response, but tried again, nonetheless. "But Naruto, it's…"

"I said _not now_, Sakura." interrupted Naruto again, who was becoming more annoyed by the second.

Now, Sakura was getting upset. She wanted tell Naruto about the one thing on her mind since the chunin exams: Sasuke's curse mark. Yet Naruto was being a complete jackass by ignoring her before she even spoke a single word.

"Now look here, you idiot!" shouted Sakura, her old habits quickly resurfacing. "I have something really important to tell you, and you just blow me off like I'm some annoying pest! You've got some nerve, Na-"

"**I SAID NOT NOW, SAKURA!**" hollered Naruto, causing the pinkette to cut her rant off prematurely. **I'M ALREADY IN BAD MOOD RIGHT NOW, AND I DON'T WANT TO LISTEN TO YOUR ENDLESS RANTS ABOUT HOW I SUCK AS NINJA! I GET ENOUGH OF THAT FROM SASUKE, KAKASHI SENSEI, AND JUST ABOUT EVERYONE ELSE THAT I COME IN CONTACT WITH! I AM SICK AND TIRED OF ALWAYS BEING CRITICIZED BY YOU OVER EVERY LITTLE THING THAT I DO THAT YOU THINK IS WRONG, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU HARDLY CONTRIBUTE ANYTHING TO THE TEAM AT ALL!**" he continued, not noticing that his voice was getting louder with each word, nor the tears that were starting resurface from Sakura's eyes.

"**I AM ALSO **_**ESPECIALLY**_** SICK OF YOU CONSTANTLY COMPARING ME TO YOU PRECIOUS SASUKE! I DON'T CARE THAT HE'S THE LAST OF HIS CLAN! I DON'T CARE THAT HE WAS OUR CLASS'S TOP ROOKIE! I DON'T CARE THAT YOU'VE HAD CRUSH ON THAT BASTARD, YET HE NEVER ONCE RETURNED THOSE FEELINGS BACK TO YOU! ****I! DON'T! CARE! ****JUST KEEP YOUR RANTS ABOUT SASUKE'S SUPPOSED SUPEROIRITY TO YOURSELF, AND LEAVE ME THE FUCK ALONE!**" shouted Naruto, who then ran towards the roof's guard fence, and leapt over it, completely forgetting about using the door.

Sakura was in shock at what had just transpired. She had never experienced being the focal point at someone's rage, let alone Naruto's. At first, she wanted to think that Naruto had crossed a line, and was being completely outrageous. "Inner Sakura" was quick to agree on that point, arguing that it wasn't Sasuke's fault that he was Naruto's superior in every single way. It was upon hearing what her "inner self" had to say that Sakura began to think about all of her past experiences.

'_Have I really been that unbearable to be around? I mean, sure I've hit Naruto a bit too hard a couple of times, but they were always in good reason. Surely, I couldn't have been that unfair, could I?' _thought the young kunoichi. But as Sakura tried to think of a time that she was nice her annoying blonde comrade, she realized that she wasn't as friendly as she wanted to think she was. _'How could I not see this before? I've just acted liked everyone else just be accepted, that I never stopped to think of the consequences of how I treated Naruto. But I've got tell him about the curse mark! He needs…no, deserves to know what's going on!' _

With her resolved strengthened, Sakura ran to the roof's edge, and leapt up and over the guard fence, determined to find Naruto. Unknown to her, or anyone else that was previously on the roof, a nurse that was hiding a few steps down from the roof's doorway had heard and seen everything.

"That fucking monster, how dare he disgrace our Fourth Hokage _and_ attack our last Uchiha!" she muttered under her breath. She had seen the "abomination" perform the Fourth's signature jutsu with the intent on attacking Sasuke. It only infuriated her even more when she overheard Kakashi Hatake say that the demon could have killed Sasuke. After losing her fiancé when the Fox Demon went on a rampage near the village thirteen years ago, she had vowed to get her vengeance on the demon's "reincarnation", no matter how long it took. She had planned on initiating her plot later in the future, but she realized that she had to strike now, or else the demon would kill again.

"It's time that I finished what the Fourth Hokage started." she muttered, as she walked back down the stairs. Her shift was already over, and she had a lot people to contact in order for her plan to work.

**333 **

**BONUS STORY TIME! **

_With Iruka, After Leaving Iruka _

After he had parted ways with Naruto, Iruka decided that he needed to go back to his apartment to freshen up before his rendezvous. After all, he had been working out in the sun all day, and he didn't want to smell. In a matter of minutes he was at the apartment complex that he was living at. But when he went to insert his key into the lock, he realized that the door was already unlocked. The surprise only lasted a second as Iruka steeled his nerves before he entered his apartment, armed with a kunai that he always carried with him in case of an emergency. As he stepped inside, he immediately took in his surroundings, looking for any sort of sign of the intruder. Oddly enough, everything looked normal; nothing was out of place. Suddenly, he heard fast hip-hop music being played very loudly from the stereo in his bedroom. Slowly but surely, Iruka crept towards his bedroom, noticing that the door leading to it was cracked ajar.

Deducing that the intruder was most likely waiting for him in his bedroom, Iruka kicked the door open hoping to catch the intruder by surprise. But to his dismay, he didn't see anyone in his room. Figuring that he was a victim of someone else's prank, Iruka stepped inside to turn off the stereo. But when he got as far as his bed, he heard the door creak behind him. That was his only warning, as a second later a sudden force tackled him from behind causing him crash down face first onto his bed. Before he could react, his assailant turned him over and roughly kissing him on the lips as well as a tongue beginning to explore the inside of his mouth.

Instantly, Iruka's initial panic disappeared, as he knew only one person that behaved like this. As his attacker final came up for air, his suspicions were confirmed once he got a good look at who was straddling him.

"Hey there, stud." purred Anko in a sultry tone.

"Anko," replied Iruka in an almost bored tone. "I thought that you wanted to meet up at the dango restaurant, first."

"Well, I did at first. But then, I thought that it would be more interesting if we did something a little different." she said with a wickedly sinful smirk on her face, all the while sensually grinding her pelvis into his crotch.

Iruka blushed darkly at Anko's ministrations. The two had been secretly seeing each other ever since they defeated the invading Sand and Sound nins. It wasn't anything dead serious, it was more of a way for the both of them to work off pent up stress, or whenever they just needed a release.

"Okay then, what's with the music?" asked Iruka.

"Eh, I kinda like it. It always seems to get me…"in the mood", if you know what I mean." she said as she slowly slipped her trench coat off and yanked off her skirt, her hips quickening their pace, causing even more friction between them

"Y-you want to do it right now?" asked a disbelieving Iruka, who was trying to desperately control his raging hormones, and not stare at her fishnet-clad body.

"What, are you saying that I'm not sexy enough for you?" teased Anko, "Because your little "buddy" down there says otherwise. On second thought, strike that last part, he's not so "little" anymore. "

"B-but what about the neighbors?" stuttered Iruka, the blush nearly covering his entire face.

This caused Anko to stop, and a take on a thoughtful expression, complete with a finger resting in her lips. "Hm, I suppose you're right. It _would _be inconsiderate to your neighbors. I guess we'll just have to wait a couple of more _hours _until night time." She smirked as she watched Iruka let the information sink in. "I should probably leave, and come back later."

But as soon as she made to get up, Iruka quickly grabbed her arm and pulled her back onto the bed, this time _he _was the one on top of _her. _

"On second thought, to hell with the neighbors." said Iruka, as he turned music's volume up.

"Now that's more I like it." said Anko. She then grabbed hold of the back of Iruka's head, and pulled him down for long passionate kiss, their tongues in a battle for dominance. As the moved up the bed, they began to desperately remove the each other's clothing, in some instances nearly ripping them off. It was clear that they were going to be at for a while.

**333 **

_With Iruka's Next Door Neighbor _

Ryu was not having a good day. His friends had thrown him a surprise birthday party at his apartment the other night, and he had massive hangover from binge drinking. To make matters worse, he had somehow sprained his neck during the party and was now wearing a neck brace. And on top of that, his apartment was littered with empty sake bottles and beer cans. All he wanted to do right now was to sleep all of his pain off. He was about to fall asleep in his lounge chair, until he heard loud hip-hop music coming through the wall that separated his room from the one next door.

At first, Ryu tried to ignore it, but his tolerance level to noise was at an all time low. It only took a matter of seconds before he stomped over to the wall and started to bounce on his feet and bang his fists on the wall at the same time, trying in vain to get his neighbors to stop the racket.

"Turn it down! You assholes! Fuckin' piece of shit! I'll kick your ass!" he shouted before he walked over to the table that had lots of empty cans and bottles on top of it.

"Piece of shit!" he shouted as he threw a bottle against the wall. But nothing changed.

"Assholes!" he shouted again, only this time he threw several empty cans at the wall. And that didn't do much, either.

Getting angrier, Ryu threw another glass bottle. "Ho-Ly Shit! Bitch!" he shouted, as he gave the opposing wall the "double bird". Finally having enough, Ryu decided to go to the park and take a nap on some bench."

_To Be Continued… _

**333 **

**So there you have it. Sorry for the time between update beings so long. What's going to happen to Naruto? Just what are the Councilors plotting? Find out Next time. Also, "Ryu" is in no shape or way making fun of "Tourettes Guy". If you don't know what I'm talking about, type in "Tourettes Guy Interview 2" in your search engine. I really wanted to post this on Easter, but I was too late. So, HAPPY BELATED EASTER, I guess.**


	4. The Resulting Violent Reaction

**A Change in Plans **

**I know that I had said in the last update that Jiraiya and Tsunade weren't aware who were Naruto's parents, but I've decided retract that last author's note. It just doesn't seem like it would make the story flow real well. Once again, I don't own anything! **

'_Blah'_- inner thoughts

"Blah"** -** talking

'_**Blah' **_- demon/monster speaking

"**Blah" -** jutsu being performed

"**BLAH"** - really angry yelling

**#**- scene change

**4444 **

**Chapter 4: The Resulting Violent Reaction **

_Outskirts of Konoha _

"My lord, are you sure it is wise for you to be up and about, especially after you've just recently transferred to your new body?" asked Kabuto, as he and his master were leaping from tree to tree towards their destination.

"This is far too important for me to just sit on the sidelines and risk having my shinobi blunder everything, Kabuto. Matters of grave significance such as this, requires a more direct approach. I wouldn't have ordered you to perform those extra surgeries after the transference ritual if I could have had one of my minions perform this task." oiled Orochimaru. His current body was still wrapped up in medical bandages, but his face looked the same as he did when he had his previous body.

"But what I don't understand why it has to be Naruto. Surely, the test subjects we have imprisoned in our bases would be more than enough for you to conduct your research? Why go to all of the trouble of capturing this boy, when a few days ago you deemed him as a future threat that needed to be eliminated?" questioned Kabuto.

Orochimaru spared him an irritated glance. "I thought that you would be more observant after all the years you've served me, Kabuto. Despite the fact that Sasuke desires vengeance for himself and his clan, he is still motivated by his damaged pride. Since he is one of the few remaining members of his clan, he will be unwilling to let go of his family pride. For my plan to succeed, I need Sasuke's anger and hatred for Itachi to be at the point where he will be prepared to forsake everything that he once treasured to acquire the knowledge and power that I have. _That_ will allow me to finally obtain the Sharingan, with the least amount of trouble from him. Yet, according to the reports from our _provider_ within the village, and from what I witnessed at the chunin exams, Sasuke has resisted the Curse Mark of Heaven's influence. Even though he has used the mark before, and knows what is capable of, he only uses it as a last resort."

"So, is that really a bad thing? The fact that Sasuke has used the curse mark just proves that he can be tempted to come to you for power." replied Kabuto.

"Normally, it wouldn't if we were dealing with an average person. But, this is an Uchiha, and they have always had a strong sense of pride in their clan. And that pride has often gotten the better of them. It motivates them to believe that they can accomplish anything."

"Like what happened with the Kaguya clan." added Kabuto.

"Precisely! Even though Sasuke is eager to go towards any methods to obtain power, his Uchiha pride will not allow himself to become subservient to anyone. That being said, I would always have to be on guard whenever he tries to _betray_ me once he believes that he has learned everything that I have to offer him. Even though I am confident that I can handle anything the runt of the Uchiha clan plans to attempt on me, it doesn't hurt to be on the safe side, now does it?"

"I see, so that's why you want to do more research on the curse marks. You want to modify the seal so that it suppresses the wearer's free will, or so that it will leave a stronger imprint of your own mind in their subconscious."

"Hm, quite an accurate deduction, Kabuto." replied the snake, with a smirk.

"But that still doesn't explain why you need Naruto for the new seal." added Kabuto.

"Ah, yes…the legacy of the Fourth Hokage, in ways this village has yet to realize." said Orochimaru, his smirk morphing into a predatory grin. "What better way to test the strength of the curse mark, than to use the son of Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki as the test subject."

"I still can't really believe that young fool is the Fourth's son. If what you said is true, then why has he been treated so poorly? Why was he allowed to grow up into the loud, brash buffoon he is today? I would have thought that the village would take better care of a kage's son." countered Kabuto.

"Hmph, please, just because the majority of the village's population worshiped the ground the Fourth walked on, doesn't mean that he was without detractors. Sarutobi Sensei most likely kept little Naruto's heritage a secret so that he could protect the child from his father's enemies, both from within and outside the village. Although, it seems that action was ineffective, as the villagers still treat him with ill-disguised hostility due to his status as a jinchuriki." explained Orochimaru.

"And how does Kushina Uzumaki enter into all of this?" asked Kabuto.

"Think, Kabuto. Throughout the entire history of the Leaf Village, there had only been two members of the Uzumaki clan that lived in the village: Mito and Kushina. Mito was the First Hokage's wife, and by proxy, Tsunade's grandmother. Kushina was around Minato's age, and they were in a serious relationship, ever since he saved her from a group of Cloud ninja that kidnapped her in one of their attempts to use shinobi with unique abilities to breed more bloodlines. This relationship would eventually progress to the point when the two eventually got married. Now, don't you find it odd that there exists a child bearing Kushina's last name, and looks almost exactly like Minato? And more to the point, do you know why out of all the children that were born during the fox demon's appearance, Minato chose Naruto to be the host of the most powerful tailed beast?"

"…I see. Forgive me for not realizing it sooner."

"Heh, you're not the only one to have overlooked Naruto's true pedigree. The current Tsuchikage has not yet ordered any assassinations on the boy in retribution for Minato's actions during the Third Shinobi war, nor has the Hidden Cloud Village tried to kidnap him, so it's easy to deduce that the Third managed to keep it a secret from nearly everyone. I myself almost didn't notice it, until I recalled the times I had spent with that fool Jiraiya's genin team. But, now that the truth has been discovered, it'll make little Naruto all the more favorable to help me with my studies, what with the blood of the Uzumaki clan and _The Yellow Flash_ running through his veins."

Kabuto was silent for a moment. He didn't like where this idea was heading, but knew better than to call his master out of it. Yet, there was one nagging thought that continued to plague his mind.

"You _do_ know that the Akatsuki won't take too kindly to this action, right?" the spectacled nin asked.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it." Orochimaru simply stated. "Now, do you remember what is required of you once we infiltrate the village? There can be no room for failure." his tone taking a more deadly tone, letting the unsaid threat linger in the air.

"I understand, Lord Orochimaru. I shall not fail you." replied Kabuto, his attitude becoming dead serious. As the view of the Leaf Village was but a few meters away, the duo split up, each with their own objective to complete.

**4444 **

_With Naruto _

Naruto's anger had not subsided since he left Sakura at the hospital. The previous events were flashing forward in his mind, as if he were experiencing them for the first time. He still couldn't believe that Sasuke was willing to kill him with his sensei's personal jutsu. Was that how he thought about him all the time when the team was together? Not to mention, he always seemed hell-bent on making him feel completely worthless. But what upset him even more was how nearly everyone he knew seemed to turn a blind eye on anything bad that the village's "oh-so precious" Uchiha, and just focus mainly on _his_ faults. And to make things worse, he was on a team in which Sasuke practically had his own entourage!

'_What did I do in my previous life to deserve this constant shit storm?_' thought Naruto as he walked down the street.

"NARUTO!" came Sakura's voice from behind him.

'_God Fucking Damnit! Just the person that I needed to see right now: the co-founder of the bastard's fan club! Maybe if I just keep walking and pretend not to hear her, she'll just leave me alone.'_ thought Naruto.

"Naruto! Naruto, wait up!" shouted Sakura, the sound of her footsteps getting louder.

'_So much for that idea._' thought Naruto bitterly. Deciding to prevent one of her infamous violent outbursts from happening, he decided to at least humor Sakura and listen to whatever she wanted to say to him. "Okay, what do you want now, Sakura?" he asked without any attempt to mask his anger.

Sakura was momentarily put off by the blonde's angry tone and hard glare that was never once directed towards her. It caused her to stop momentarily, as she began to realize that perhaps things weren't as swell as she thought they were.

"Naruto, there's something that I need to talk you about." she started. "Something that you deserve to know about Sasuke."

"Save it, Sakura. I'm not interested in listening to the million reasons way Sasuke is wonderful." muttered Naruto. He did not want to deal with her usual behavior.

"But this is important! Sasuke hasn't been himself ever since the chunin exams-"

"Really? He seemed like his normal self when he tried to kill me back at the hospital."

"But it wasn't his fault! He-"

"God, why do you keep on making excuses for him, Sakura? Am I really _that _beneath your contempt that you could care less if Sasuke slit my throat in my sleep?" snapped Naruto, his temper beginning to rise again.

"No! It's not like that! I wasn't going to say anything like that! Naruto, you need to know that something really terrible happened when Sasuke fought Orochimaru in the Forest of Death whilst you were knocked out! He didn't tell you about it because he didn't want you to worry about him!"

"HA! If that's the reason, then how come _you_ know, huh? Why are you so willing to let me in on your little _lover's secret _with the bastard now? I thought you wanted to share something special with him."

"Kakashi Sensei and the Third Hokage knew about it as well. I wasn't the only one besides Sasuke that knew about it." Sakura said in her defense.

"Big deal! So the higher ranking ninja know about Sasuke's dirty little secret. The fact that you and Sasuke kept it from me, shows what you all truly think of me as your teammate, and as a person. And quite frankly, I've had just about enough of people talking crap about me for one day, _thank you very much_!" growled Naruto, as he stormed off.

"Please, Naruto, don't go!" said Sakura, distress heavy lacing her words. It got the desired effects, as Naruto immediately stopped in his tracks. "I know that Sasuke and I haven't been very good teammates, and that we should have treated you better. But, this is really important. If you just give me chance, I'll explain everything to you. No more keeping secrets from you, I swear! Just please, trust me!"

Naruto stayed silent as an internal debate was raging through his mind. On one hand, he could just tell Sakura to bugger off, and walk away. After all, he wasn't obligated to obey her every demand. But on the other hand, no matter how angry he was, Naruto just couldn't bring himself to be outright spiteful to anyone.

"Alright." sighed Naruto. "Alright, Sakura, I'll listen to what you have to say. But can we talk about it a bit later? I need some time alone right now."

"Sure. How about we meet at our team's regular training grounds in thirty minutes?"

"Sounds fine. See you 'till then." replied Naruto, as he walked away to be alone with his thoughts. Sakura watched as Naruto left before she went the other way. She too needed some time to get her thoughts together. But what neither of the genin noticed was the figure that was listening in on the entire conversation.

"So, the demon is gonna be at the Third Training Ground, eh? The others must here about this." the mysterious figure said, before disappearing in a shunshin.

**4444 **

_Leaf Wall Outpost 13 _

Guard duty. One of the most mundane and boring jobs that a shinobi could have. In these somewhat peaceful times, it was seen as a test of one's character and patience. If it was during a war, then things would've been different. The ninja that were assigned to the wall outposts were usually newly promoted chunin that had originally thought that they were above being assigned boring missions. But, they had the assurance that their task was not as painfully boring as gate guard duty. Kotetsu Hagane and Izumo Kamizuki had the privilege of being assigned that job. Still, for the new chunin that were stationed at Outpost 13, things looked as if things were gonna be a nice and quiet for the entire afternoon.

That is, until a violent chain of explosions on the wall shattered the tranquility, and plunged the entire outpost into chaos.

"What the crap is going on?" shouted one of the chunin, as he was beginning to panic.

"Are you kidding me? We're under attack! Why didn't you see this coming?" shouted the kunoichi.

"Because the attack came from within the village!" exclaimed the male chunin.

"What? Are you serious?" exclaimed the kunoichi. "If this your idea of a prank, then…"

"I'm not joking, the attack came from inside the-"

"Stop panicking like a bunch headless chickens, the both of you!" interrupted their superior officer. "You're all chunin, so start acting like your rank, and not like greenhorn genin!"

"Captain, I've got a visual on the possible perpetrator. He's heading twenty degrees due west from our position!" exclaimed the first male chinun.

"What?" Not wasting time, the captain snatched up the binoculars from the shinobi, and aimed them at the area that his underling had mentioned. Sure enough, he saw a cloaked figure fleeing into the wooded area behind the village's protective barrier. "Mobilize Squadrons One through Three immediately. They are to detain the suspect by any means necessary. I want this bastard brought back alive, and wanted it done yesterday, people!"

As the sentries scrambled to chase after the attacker, the cloaked figure continued his escape into the forested area, despite knowing that there were now pursuit teams gaining on him.

"Heh, it took them long enough." sniped the assailant, as the wind pulled back his hood to reveal the face of one Kabuto Yakushi.

**4444 **

_Unknown Abandoned Building_

"My comrades, from what Kaji has heard, the demon fox is planning to meet one of its teammates at Training Grounds 3 in roughly thirty minutes. This is the moment that we've all been waiting for: the chance to finally finish what our Fourth Hokage started. We shall lie and wait at this location, and when that wretched demon arrives, we strike it down hard and fast!" said a sunglasses-wearing jonin. The man was wearing the standard shinobi blue shirt and pants, as well as the regular green flak jacket. He also wore a pair of steel plated gloves. But unlike the normal guarded gloves, the fingers weren't cut off. He also had a full beard and a mop of short brown hair.

"Yeah! Lets kill it once and for all!"

"It's been alive for too long. The Third Hokage should have killed it the day that it was born!

"YEAH!"

"KILL THE DEMON!"

"BURN IT ALIVE!"

These were some of the shouts that filled the darkened building. Judging by what was seen from the luminescence provided by the numerous candles, there were about twenty-five people in the congregation of men and women.

"Hold up for a minute, Gendo!" exclaimed an older looking jonin, with graying black hair. "Are you sure that you want to risk exposing all of use for this foolish attack? The child could still be of use to this village. You remember how he single-handedly stopped that Gaara boy from the Sand/Sound invasion?"

Gendo focused his gaze upon the older shinobi. "It has rediscovered how to use its demonic chakra at will, and has the ability to summon toads, Fuyutsuki. We can't allow to regain its full strength and destroy us all. And as for stopping that sand demon's rampage, it is well known that demons are naturally territorial, and will defend their _turf _to the death. Despite the fact that the fox demon succeeded in stopping Sand's own demon, recent events have occurred that have deemed it too dangerous to be kept alive. Ritsuko had just recently spied _it_ using the Fourth Hokage's treasured ninjutsu, the Rasengan, in attempt to kill Sasuke Uchiha."

"It did what?" exclaimed a woman.

"That monster had the nerve to try and kill our Uchiha?" roared a male chunin that wore goggles and a helmet.

"That settles it! The fox must be killed before it finishes what it started thirteen years ago!" shouted a shinobi, whose tall stature and cheek markings signified that he was a member of the Akimichi clan. This outburst brought out several shouts of agreement, their drive to finally kill the village's demon reaching the boiling point. But as soon as Gendo raised his hand, the entire room became silent.

"We mustn't waste this opportunity. Get to the training grounds, and await my command. Comrades, today we finally rid the Leaf of the plague that is the Nine-Tailed-Fox Spirit! Move out!"

The shinobi instantly vanished via shunshin, except for Gendo and Fuyutsuki.

"I hope you're know just how much is riding on this, Gendo. You know what will happen to all of us if we get caught." said Fuyutsuki, before he too left via shunshin, leaving Gendo alone in the candle-lit room.

"It will work, I swear it." said the Gendo, his eyes taking a hardened look behind his glasses. "I swear on my life, you will be avenged, my beloved wife." Seeing that he was completely alone in his group's temporary meeting place, the man left via shunshin, the wind extinguishing the flames, leaving the room in complete darkness.

**4444 **

_With Jiraiya and Tsunade _

Tsunade was once again looking through the stacks of paperwork that were on her desk. It was taking all of her will power not to use all of it as kindling for a fire. She found it bitterly ironic that she used to get on her sensei's case whenever he complained how he sometimes got fed up with being Hokage.

"Why can't you use the door like everyone else, Jiraiya?" asked Tsunade, her eyes glued to a scroll she was reading.

Said ninja suddenly appeared from behind her, an annoying smirk plastered on his face. "Because, everyone uses the door. I prefer to be more…unique." replied the toad sage.

Tsunade just snorted in a very un-lady like manner, before putting the scroll away for later. "Please, your pick up lines are just corny as they were thirty years ago. And how do I know that you weren't ogling at my breasts _again_?" she asked with a raised brow.

"Heh, I've been punched out this village by you countless times. I think I've gotten the message that you were trying to pound into me all those years ago by now. I know when something is a lost cause."

Tsunade was immediately on guard, the memory of what Naruto said about Jiraiya acting weird racing back to her mind. This did not sound like the Jiraiya that she knew. And in a way, she felt somewhat disappointed that he didn't respond back to her barb like he usually did. But, she couldn't let him know that she was aware of his change in behavior, not immediately at least.

"Then would you care to explain why you continued to peep on me if you knew that I wasn't interested?" asked Tsunade.

"Well, you know the old saying: old habits die hard." smirked Jiraiya. His expression then quickly shifted to that of a serious shinobi. "So, what is it that you wanted from me, Lady Hokage?"

Again, that serious tone almost made her cringe. It was like she was talking to someone completely different. But she had a job to do, and couldn't appear that she was out of it.

"I was going over some of the reports of the chunin exam, more specifically the second part that involved the Forest of the Death. The fact that Orochimaru has branded Sasuke with his Curse Mark doesn't really sit well with me. Unlike Anko, Sasuke looks as if he would be more willing to actually use the mark to fulfill his own needs." she said.

"I actually just observed a fight between him and his teammate, Naruto. It was actually quite nostalgic." added Jiraiya.

That threw Tsunade for a loop. "Care to elaborate?" she asked, curious to what her old teammate was going with all of this.

"From what I've seen, this year's Squad Seven is almost identical to our old team: they have a talented _genius_ that sees himself superior to everyone else, a somewhat clumsy klutz that everyone immediately sees as the _dead last_, a kunoichi that has a crush on said _genius _and constantly degrades said klutz at every chance she gets, and a teacher that has the tendency to play favorites amongst his students." said Jiraiya, his tone never changing.

Tsunade's unease only doubled. Perhaps, Naruto was right about Jiraiya after all. "That aside, what do you propose should be done with Sasuke? Kakashi has reported that he had applied the Evil Sealing Method to the seal, but he's worried that the boy has been using it willingly."

"Hm, it would probably be a good idea for me to have a look at. Perhaps, I could see if there's something that might help subdue the mark that so that it isn't just Sasuke's will that is keeping it at bay. However, given how we know very little about Orochimaru's curse marks, I doubt that whatever I come up with will be very effective in the long run. Although, if you ask me, he should be closely monitored. During their little sparring match, Sasuke seemed a bit too eager to use the Chidori on Naruto. If Kakashi hadn't stopped the fight before it became too dangerous, I shudder to think how differently that match would have ended." said Jiraiya, bitterly. "Now then, aside from that, is there anything else that you need from me?"

Tsunade bit her lip slightly. It was now or never. "Actually, yes, there is. Is…everything alright with you, Jiraiya? You seemed a bit…off, on the way back to the village, as if, there was something bothering you."

Jiraiya just gawked at her, before he merely raised an eyebrow. "Are you drunk already, Tsunade? Because you're saying things that you wouldn't normally say when you're sober."

"I'm being serious, you pervert. Even your student was able to sense that you were acting differently." the woman replied tersely. Jiraiya tensed up at his old comrade's statement. It looked like he too fell victim to Naruto's deceivingly naive behavior. But now wasn't the time to contemplate on how to get back at the boy for the situation he was in. He didn't feel like discussing his problem with Tsunade. She wouldn't talk to him about Dan when they were together, so he felt no obligation to tell her about Shina. Unfortunately, Tsunade was just as bull-headed as she was during her younger years, and wouldn't let a topic go, especially if it was about him.

"I don't think it's any of your business. You disappear off of the face of the earth for years, so I'm entitled to keep a few secrets from you." retorted Jiraiya, hoping that would end things quickly. Unfortunately, it seemed as if things were set against the Toad Sage today.

"Yes, but I'm the Fifth Hokage, now. And, as Hokage, I can't afford to have one of my best shinobi emotionally compromised." she said as she laced her fingers together in front of her chin, her elbows propped on her desk. Her face showed on signs that she was going to drop the subject. "So I'll ask you again: what is bothering you?"

**4444 **

_Back With Naruto_

As Naruto made his way to the training grounds after having some time to cool off, he began to think back to what Sakura had said to him before. Even though he was angry that he was kept out of the loop, again, he thought that maybe they did have a good reason for doing it. Hell, he'd been keeping one of the biggest secrets in all of Leaf Village's history. And considering that Orochimaru was the one that branded Sasuke with that damned mark, then perhaps Sasuke really was being influenced by it. Given what he had seen in the Forest of Death, he was willing to believe that he traitor was capable of accomplishing just about anything unnatural.

Suddenly, Naruto heard the sound of a twig snapping from his right. Whirling around, the blonde tried to see through the forested cover in order to find the source of the noise. Silently cursing that he wasn't from the Hyuga clan, Naruto tried to extend his senses to try and locate where the source of the noise was. Yet, despite his best efforts, he couldn't pinpoint where it came from. Accepting defeat, Naruto continued his way towards Training Ground 3, unaware of what was awaiting him. In a short while, he soon saw the three familiar wooden posts, as well as Sakura leaning against the post that was towards his left, staring at the ground deep in thought. Seeing that she was waiting for him, Naruto quickened his own pace to meet her. Hearing the sound of footsteps, Sakura looked up to see Naruto hurrying towards her. Not wanting to seem rude, she rushed over to meet him.

Neither of them were expecting what was about to happen. One second, they were running towards each other, the next a line of kunai landed in between them, the explosive notes tied to them already smoking. Despite seeing the danger in front of them, they had very little time before the explosives detonated with a loud and powerful explosion, blowing them back with extreme force. Since Sakura was caught somewhat flat-footed, she couldn't move as quickly as Naruto could and thus was blown back further from the point of origin than Naruto, and was slammed against a tree, landing in a heap at the trunk.

"Sakura!" yelled Naruto, as he scrambled to his feet despite the unsteady feeling that was coursing through him.

"Stay away from that girl, demon scum!" was the only warning Naruto got before he was nearly crushed by an enlarged fist. It was only thanks to his fast reflexes that he managed to escape the devastating attack from the unknown Akimichi. Before he could even shout a curse at the fat ninja, his instincts told him that the danger was far from over. The blonde leapt to the left to avoid being bisected by a ninjato-wielding shinobi, only to leap forward in order to avoid being blasted by the Fireball Jutsu that was launched by a kunoichi. To make matters worse for the boy, he could see more and more shinobi and kunoichi appearing, all of them looked ready to kill. Figuring that this was one of those times to run instead of fight, Naruto dashed to where Sakura was in order to get the away from the angry horde of ninja. Sadly, his efforts were for naught, as a Jonin wearing gloves and orange-tinted sunglasses sent him flying back with a surprise front kick.

As Naruto got to his feet, he saw that he was completely surrounded by the mob. Right away, memories of his past experiences with mobs came flooding into Naruto's mind. Even though he always made sure to make it back home before midnight, he sometimes ran afoul with an angry mob that seemed to always know where to find him when he was younger. Sometimes, there were a few shinobi mixed in with the mass of people, but most of the times they were mainly composed of vengeful civilians that wanted payback for the suffering they endured from the fox demon. The Third Hokage tried his best to stop these attacks, but nothing seemed to permanently but an end to them. When he became a genin the attacks seemed to have stopped all together, that is, until now.

"What's going on? Wha…what do you all want from me?" said Naruto, his eyes darting from left to right.

"We're all here to finally rid the world of your evil, demon." said the sunglasses-wearing jonin, hatred visible in his eyes, despite being shielded by orange-tinted lenses.

"YEAH!"

"You tell it, Gendo!"

"It's time that you die for what you've down to our village thirteen years ago, monster!"

Similar outbursts were shouted towards Naruto, bringing back horrid memories that he had worked hard to repress.

"What are you talking about? I had never hurt any of you! I don't even know who any of you are!" shouted Naruto.

"Don't lie to us, monster!" shouted the Akimichi. "You know full well what you have done to the Leaf Village, and all of her children thirteen years ago! We lost our Fourth Hokage because of you!"

"The Third Hokage may have prevented us from finishing you off while you were younger, fox. But now that he has passed on, there will be no escaping your execution." said Gendo, in an eerily calm tone, his facial expression still retaining that scowl. This brought out mass uproar of cheers and angry remarks.

"What does it take for you morons to get it that I'm not the damn demon!" shouted Naruto. The mob responded in turn with angry insults and death threats. Naruto, having enough of dealing with the mob, decided to try and make his escape. If he was lucky, he could probably grab Sakura and hightail it towards the Hokage Tower. As he was still making his plans, Naruto suddenly felt a sharp twinge on the back of his neck. Reaching to where the sudden irritation was and pulled out a senbon needle. The moment he had the weapon in his hand, his vision began to swim and he felt his strength leave him. He tried desperately to move out of the ring of shinobi, but his legs quickly became lethargic and slow moving, which resulted in him finally tripping over his own feet and crashing to the ground. But before he finally lost consciousness, he caught sight of a blonde-haired woman with a mole on her left cheek, smirking triumphantly at him.

**4444 **

_Back With Sakura _

Sakura's head was pounding from the explosion, and it didn't help that there was a large commotion assaulting her already hurt eardrums. But then, for some reason, the pain in her head suddenly lessened drastically. Once her vision cleared, she saw that a woman with blonde hair and green eyes was performing the Mystical Palms Jutsu on her. The fact that she was hearing what sounded to be a large fight not too far away from where she was immediately put Sakura on edge. As she tried to get to her feet, the blonde woman gently pushed her back into a sitting position, while positioning herself so that she was in front of Sakura's line of sight.

"You shouldn't be moving, right now. You took a pretty nasty concussion when you hit that tree." said the woman. If you let me treat your injury, you will be just fine." said the woman. But Sakura noted that her tone seemed like she was stalling for something. And still, the sounds of fighting were assaulting her eardrums. From behind the woman, the girl could see that there was a large gathering of shinobi that were gathered around something on the ground. She could see that they were kicking and striking at it.

"Hey, what's going on?" asked Sakura as she tried to get a good look behind the woman but moved to blocked her view.

"It's nothing that you need to worry yourself about." said the woman briskly, placing a firm hand on her shoulder, keeping her in place.

"But what are they doing? And who was it that threw those-" Sakura's voice stopped the moment she caught sight of a familiar trace of orange surrounded by the horde of shinobi. Jerking her head to get a better look at was being put through such a violent onslaught, she saw the person that was laying face down on the ground was none other than…

"Naruto!" shrieked Sakura, her discomfort and pain instantly forgotten, "Stop it, all of you! What do you think you all are doing to him?" She leapt to her feet and tried to get towards her teammate, but found herself being grabbed in a Full Nelson hold. Looking behind her, she was confused, and at the same time angered, that it was the same woman that had helped her.

"What is wrong with you? Let me go! They're killing my friend!" shouted Sakura. She tried to break out of the woman's hold, but she found the medic to be a lot stronger than she first appeared. "What the hell's wrong with you? Let me go! Can't you see that they're going to kill him?" screeched Sakura, as she tried to desperately break free of the blonde woman's hold.

"I'm sorry, but I can't let you interfere. It has to be done." said the woman, her tone sounding as if she were comforting a fussy baby. "This is for the village's own good."

Sakura blanched at the blonde woman. She couldn't believe what she had just heard with her own ears. The way that the woman spoke was if she had been relieved of a huge burden. Just looking at her smile serenely as Naruto was getting beaten to death by the horde made her sick.

"What are you talking about?" demanded Sakura as she continued to struggle against woman's hold.

"The beast you see before you has been alive for too long. For thirteen, long, horrible years, it served as a reminder of what we have all lost. Everyday it was allowed to live, the souls of our loved ones cried for retribution, yet we were prohibited by the Third Lord Hokage to help those poor souls pass on. But now, thanks to Gendo, we will finally grant those lost souls eternal rest. We will be seen as saints in Kami's eyes. The brave few that had the courage to act, while the masses did nothing."

"You're insane! You're absolutely insane! Naruto's no monster!" shouted Sakura, her unease steadily increasing the more she listened to the woman.

The woman just chuckled. "You poor child. You've been in close contact with the demon for so long, that your common sense and judgment has deteriorated. But, don't worry, it will all be over soon. Gendo is about to end it all." said the woman, her gaze directed towards the mob. Following the deranged woman's gaze, she saw, to her horror, a shinobi wearing sunglasses, obviously Gendo, standing before a severely beaten and unconscious Naruto. Cuts and bruises were littered everywhere on Naruto's body, his bright orange jumpsuit ravaged by rips and stained with his blood. Her eyes darted back to Gendo, and saw that the man held a ninjato in his hand. As she watched Gendo raise his weapon, the tip pointed towards Naruto's neck, she began to struggle with all of her might. Desperateness finally kicking in, Sakura slammed a stomp kick onto her captor's foot, stunning the woman long enough her the pinkette to escape. Once free, Sakura rocketed towards the jeering crowd that surrounded Naruto and Gendo, hoping that she could get to the blonde before Gendo struck.

Meanwhile, Gendo stared long and hard at the crumpled form of the Nine-Tailed-Fox demon. He refused to call it the name that some of the shinobi and civilians had gotten comfortable using. He and his wife were of the many shinobi that were tasked of distracting the fox demon whilst the Fourth Hokage finished preparing his plan to defeat the demon. Although he had managed to survive the ordeal, his wife was one of the many that weren't so fortunate. When he had heard that the damned fox was sealed into a newborn baby, he was amongst the numerous people that were in support of simply killing the baby to permanently end the threat of the demon. Of course, the Third's laws concerning the baby angered Gendo to no ends, and he had vowed to one day finish what the Fourth Hokage had set out to do, and make sure his wife's sacrifice was not in vain.

"I do this for you, Yui." said Gendo to himself. But just as he was about to finish the demon off for good, the ground suddenly jolted and shuddered with great magnitude, causing him to lose his balance momentarily. That one brief moment would cost him dearly, as he had to leap away from Naruto before the incoming Rasengan collided with his stomach. As he safely distanced himself, he saw that Tsunade and Jiraiya were standing in front of the demon, along with the snake whore Anko Mitarashi, some chunin with a scar across his nose, a kunoichi wearing a battle kimono, the infamous Copycat ninja Kakashi Hatake, and Sasuke Uchiha himself. As his eyes darted around, he noticed that each of his followers were being restrained by an ANBU Black Op, including Ritsuko. Gendo barely contained the rage that was building up inside him.

"What is the meaning of this?" roared Tsunade, her eyes never breaking away from the shinobi Jiraiya nearly hit with his last attack. Behind her, Shizune was applying immediate first aid to Naruto. Although she only got a small glance of him, what she did see angered her immensely. Looking around, she saw Sakura rushing towards them, which brought up several questions as to what part she played in this entire fiasco. She was even more surprised that Sasuke and Anko were here as well, but now wasn't the time to ponder their reasons. As she set her sights back on the mob's ringleader, something clicked in her mind.

"Gendo, what is the meaning of this? Attacking a fellow shinobi with the intent to kill is punishable by death. You do know that, don't you?" said Tsunade dangerously.

"I will NEVER call that _monster _my comrade." Gendo grated out, his facial features hardening.

"Watch what you say, Gendo. I could have you executed in a matter of seconds." retorted Tsunade.

"You _aren't _the Hokage yet, not until you have gone through the coronation ceremony. So, you have no sway over me, _Lady Tsunade_. I will not stand by and allow the monster that you're protecting to live another day." growled Gendo.

Sakura frowned in confusion. Why was Gendo calling Naruto a monster, and why was he so desperate to kill him?"

"You've already violated the laws of proper shinobi conduct, Gendo. Don't make it even worse on yourself by breaking the Third Hokage's law as well." said Jiraiya, struggling to restrain himself from killing the man right where he stood.

"Hmph, the Third Hokage is no longer alive to enforce his useless laws." stated Gendo.

"Despite his death, the Third's laws are still valid and are to be enforced. You've just added treason to your list of crimes against the village, Gendo." interjected Kakashi.

Gendo glared at Kakashi, his self restraint seemed to have finally snapped. "Don't you dare call me a traitor. The Third committed treason to the highest degree when he prohibited us from killing the demon once and for all! Thousands of lives were lost trying to buy time for the Fourth Hokage, and instead of eliminating the demon before it could attack again, you fall for its deceivingly innocent reincarnation and allow it to live! I don't care if I have to go through you, your naïve allies, or your mindless drones, Tsunade, I will kill that monster if it's the last thing I-HRRKK!"

Before the crazed man could finish his rant, a thin double-edged blade suddenly protruded from his throat, resulting in a shower of blood. Not a moment later, the ANBU agents and mob members suffered the same fate, save for the blonde woman, who managed to twist her neck out of the way of the blade that went through the neck of the ANBU detaining her. As the bodies collapsed to the ground, the remaining people saw that each corpse had a small white snake slither away from them. The group watched with morbid fascination as the snakes congregated towards a spot behind the surviving mobster and disappear in a cloud of smoke. When the smoke dissipated, there stood none other than Orochimaru, fashioning his trademark serpentine smirk. The snake-like man's sudden appearance caused the blonde woman to scream in fright, but she was immediately sent flying towards a tree by the snake nin's powerful backfist, knocking her unconscious.

This instantly made the two loyal sanin extremely wary of their former comrade, as that last attack showed that he was longer limited to just his legs and snake style ninjutsu. The group tensed up once again when the traitorous sanin turned his attentions back towards them.

"Well now, if this is how you treat your loyal shinobi, Tsunade, then it looks as if abandoning this cesspool of a village was the smartest decision that I made in my entire life." said Orochimaru, while idly massaging his right wrist.

"Orochimaru! You've got some nerve! What are you doing here?" declared Tsunade, still reeling from the fact that the Otokage had changed bodies faster than she'd originally expected him to.

"If you must know, Tsunade, I was just doing some rehabilitation training, after our last fight, and decided to take some time to see how much damage my failed invasion caused. The fact that I've gotten past your security forces without that much of an effort shows just how much of an…impact…I've left on my old home. But then, out of the blue, I decided that I might as well take care of some unfinished business that I'd left behind." said Orochimaru, as if he were discussing the weather with old friends.

"You're talking about me, aren't you?" said Sasuke, his scowl still on his face. He was _not _having a good day. Seeing the destructive power from Naruto's jutsu had left a bitter taste in his mouth, and to make things worse, Kakashi had tied him up to a tree to give him some sappy lecture about how his life would be ruined if he continued down his path to revenge. What the hell did he know what he was going through? It was clan business, and Kakashi had no right to stick his mask covered nose where it didn't belong.

"Kakashi, what the hell were you thinking bringing the brat here? Don't you know that bastard of a snake is after him?" seethed Anko, her eyes never breaking away from her former mentor. She was poised and ready to strike at anytime. She had to make her move first, before Orochimaru immobilized her through the curse seal that was still branded on her neck.

"Ah, good, both you and Anko are already here, Sasuke. This saves me the trouble of hunting the two of you down. Now just remain still, this won't take but a second." said Orochimaru as he brought his hands up in an inverted tiger seal (**AN: the seal that he used to place the curse mark on his victims, the one with the middle fingers crossed over the index fingers**).

"Do your worst." said Sasuke stoically. While in his mind, he was barely containing his excitement of what the snake sanin was planning. The curse mark was incredible. It had given him power that he could only dream about. But what was the sanin planning? Was he going to help make the mark stronger? Whatever the snake was plotting, the Uchiha was sure that it would make his vengeance easier and faster to complete. As for Orochimaru, it took all of his self restraint to just grab Sasuke and escape back to the Sound Village, but, he reminded himself of his plans, and that it would pay off in the long run.

The other shinobi, on the other hand, instantly snapped into action. Shizune, Iruka and Sakura stayed put to watch over Naruto, whilst Tsunade, Jiraiya, Kakashi, and Anko charged the snake sanin. Sasuke didn't move an inch, as he waited for whatever jutsu Orochimaru was planning on performing. All them, however, were in for the shock of their lives.

"**Release!**" declared Orochimaru, before channeling massive amounts of chakra into his hand sign. Immediately, the pained cries were heard, as Anko and Sasuke collapsed to the ground thrashing in pain, clutching at where their curse mark was located. But as soon as they started, the two marked ninjas became still, their labored breathing the only sounds coming from them. Slowly but surely, Anko unsteadily got to her knees, but she felt something was off; it felt as if something was missing. As she unconsciously clutched at her left shoulder, her eyes widened in shock.

"The curse mark…I can't feel the curse mark anymore!" exclaimed Anko.

Upon hearing that, everyone rushed over towards Anko and Sasuke to confirm if what the former said was true. Sure enough, instead of seeing the black tomed curse mark, the remaining ninja saw nothing but clear, unmarked skin. For the first time, Anko finally felt at peace with herself. No longer would she feel as if her former master had an influence over her actions. Sasuke, however, wasn't as ecstatic as Anko was. Possibly the greatest chance he had at killing Itachi was now taken away from him, and by the same man who had given him the power to begin with.

"What the hell was that for? Why did you take the mark away from me?" roared Sasuke, eliciting a gasp from Sakura.

Ororchimaru just chuckled as lowered his arms to his side. "I am sorry to say this, Sasuke, but you no longer meet the requirements for the power that I have to offer."

"WHAT?" exclaimed Sasuke. "I am an avenger, determined to kill the very man who took everything from me by any means necessary! How does _that _not meet your requirements?"

Orochimaru's smirk never left his face. "It's quite simple, actually. You see, dear Sasuke, despite all of your grand speeches and fearless facades that you put up, they are nothing more but pitiful fronts to cover up what you truly are deep down inside: a spoiled little boy, desperate for his father's approval, but always ending up being outdone by his older brother. Honestly, if there's anything that I find more pathetic than the so-called _Will of Fire_ that Sarutobi Sensei constantly preached about, it's sibling rivalry fueled by the desire for parental affection."

"You have no idea on what you're talking about, nor of the pain and hatred that I constantly go through!" yelled Sasuke.

Orochimaru's smirk twisted into a scowl. "There you go again, saying that you experience hardships and pain everyday, yet you still live a luxurious life with people, young and old, worshipping the very ground you walk on. Anything that you desire can be easily obtained by using your deceased clan's name. Yes, you truly do live a _harsh_, and _unforgiving _life that absolutely _no one _deserves to experience."

"Fine, we get it! The little Uchiha doesn't interest you anymore!" interjected Anko, before Sasuke could say anything that would cause the tense stand off to erupt into violence.

"This isn't like you at all, Orochimaru." stated Jiraiya. "Why would you go through all the trouble of branding Sasuke with your curse mark, only to come back to remove it? You never do anything that doesn't benefit you in the long run."

Orochimaru's smirk returned, even more sinister than before. "And who said that I would be leaving empty handed? You are correct, Jiraiya, I didn't come all this way only to destroy Anko and Sasuke's seal. No, the other reason as to why I am here is to pick up someone that better fits my standards. Once I've retrieved that person, I'll be on my way." The snake relished at the Leaf nin's reactions. But out of all of the ninja present, no one's reaction gave him greater joy than Sasuke's. It looks like his plan would run smoothly after all.

"And what makes you think that we'll just let you to abduct another innocent for you to perform your sick experiments on? Just who is this person that you've targeted?" questioned Kakashi, his lone visible eye narrowing.

Orochimaru just sent a smug expression towards the veteran jonin. "Please, as if any of could actually stop me, even _if _you all worked together. But, if you must know Kakashi, the person that I'm looking for is someone that has the potential to be the most powerful shinobi that this sad excuse for a hidden village has to offer, someone who knows first hand how cruel the so-called _civilized _people of Leaf can truly be, someone that has known hatred and anger since the day he was born, someone…wearing an orange jumpsuit, and is currently in a bloodied and bruised state of unconsciousness." said the Orochimaru, as he pointed towards that very back of the group of ninjas, more specifically, the comatose blonde that Shizune was holding in her arms.

"Naruto?" exclaimed Sakura, shocked at the sudden turn of events. Sasuke's shock was quickly replaced with newfound anger and jealousy.

"What are you playing, Orochimaru? During our last battle, you've tried to kill the boy countless times! Why are you so interested in him all of the sudden?" interrogated Tsunade.

"Yes, I too am curious about this development, Orochimaru. Especially since you told me that Naruto would never amount to anything. You specifically said that he had no talent, and that only those that could master countless jutsus were true ninjas. What made you change your mind so drastically?" added Jiraiya.

"Kukuku, true, that _was _my original ideal." answered Orochimaru. "But, that all changed after I witnessed young Naruto perform the Rasengan on my underling, Kabuto, which that in itself is quite a feat to accomplish according to the less than stellar reports I've read about him. Then again, deception _is _ashinobi's life blood. And even before that little encounter, Naruto was able to stop one of my more larger summons from attacking his teammates. You remember that moment, don't you Sasuke? Where the supposed _dead last_ was more courageous than _you_?"

Sasuke made no vocal response to the barb aimed at his moment of cowardice, not wanting to give that backstabber the pleasure of getting to him. Yet, his teeth gnashed tighter together, and his gaze hardened.

"But, that's just the tip of the iceberg!" said Orochimaru. "The fact that he had managed to single-handedly defeat the Sand Village's jinchuriki shows just how much hidden potential the young boy has. In a way, it's strikingly similar as to how the Fourth Hokage prevented the Nine-Tailed-Fox demon from razing the Leaf Village to the ground. It makes a person think that perhaps Naruto is the legacy of the Fourth Hokage in _more_ ways than what's already known by the masses."

Jiraiya 's eyes briefly darted to his left, meeting Tsunade's gaze, before returning to his former friend. He had bad idea that Orochimaru knew something that was supposed to have been kept a S-rank secret.

"Even if that's true, what makes you think that Naruto would willingly accept you or your methods? He would rather die than follow a monster like you." Jiraiya growled out.

"Oh, but I beg to differ. Despite what you all may think, I can clearly see what little Naruto is hiding behind his _mask_. After years of torment at the hands of his teachers and peers, as well as the unwarranted violent attacks on his person, I sincerely doubt that Naruto could ever come out of that sort of treatment in all smiles. Why, even his own teammates and sensei treat him like a doormat. Even though he may tell you otherwise, I know that deep down in his heart lies the soul of a falsely persecuted boy, demanding vengeance and retribution upon those who have tortured him. And if Naruto has the power to stop a rampaging Shukaku, then just think of all the damage he can do to your village when he decides to exact his revenge for the first thirteen years of his life. Additionally, it'll give me the chance to test your theory of what makes a great shinobi, Jiraiya." said Orochimaru, sneering at the startled look at the self-proclaimed "ladies' man" of the Sanin. "You remember now, don't you? The part when you specifically told me that a true shinobi is one that endures? That the most important talent for a shinobi is having the guts to never give up? Well, I've decided to finally see if what you say holds any validity. And who better to test your ideal than the very person that's specializes in exceeding society's expectations of him? It wouldn't be too hard to get Naruto to join me. After a few _therapy sessions _with him, and tweaking a few important memories, I'm positive that I can get him to see things through my point of view. And besides, I think it's high time that Naruto serves a village that actually _appreciates_ his abilities, don't you?"

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" roared Jiraiya, as he leapt at Orochimaru, closing the distance between them in a second, a fully charged Rasengan in his hand. But as the spiraling sphere of chakra made contact with the pale skinned man, his body exploded into a mass of small white snakes. The snakes slithered quickly past Jiraiya before they once again converged to form Orochimaru, rushing towards where that majority of the group was standing.

"YOU'RE NOT TAKING NARUTO!" exclaimed Tsunade, as she rained down from the sky, with her trademark Painful Sky Leg aimed for his head. But instead of dodging the brutal attack, Orochimaru allowed the attack to connect, before he was engulfed in a cloud of smoke and was replaced by a log, that was splintered into several pieces. Behind her, she heard a sound similar to chirping birds. As she turned to face the source of the noise, she was greeted with the sight of Kakashi driving his lightning-coated hand through Orochimaru's chest. But Tsunade didn't time to relax, as the skewered Orochimaru collapsed into a puddle of mud. Panicked, Tsunade tried to get a sense as to where he went, but only saw Jiraiya and Kakashi, looking just as frantic as she was. Anko and Sasuke were on the ground, just barely hanging onto consciousness, but she could see that Anko desperately wanted a chance to pay Orochimaru back for all of the hardships she had to endure because of him.

Meanwhile, while the counter attack against Orochimaru began, Iruka, Shizune (still carrying an unconscious Naruto), and Sakura ran in attempt to get as much distance between them and the treacherous sanin. Unfortunately, the trio didn't get very far, as Orochimaru burst through the ground, nailing Sakura with a punch to the temple, instantly knocking the poor girl unconscious. Before Iruka and Shizune could react, they felt the wind knocked out of them from the two fists that slammed into their solar plexuses. As the two adults collapsed to the ground, Orochimaru swiftly grabbed the unconscious boy from Shizune's arms. He could have easily killed the three shinobi, as a way to instill sorrow and anger into his former teammates, but he had a better idea. As he sensed the three ninja that had physically attacked him, he slowly turned to face them, treasuring their horrified expressions once they saw who he had in his arms.

"Kukukuku, well isn't this just a delicious bit of irony?" said Orochimaru, as he yanked the blonde's headband off his head, the item bursting into ethereal flames seconds later. "The very person that convinced you to become Hokage, is the one person that you've failed to protect, Tsunade." With a sneer, the traitor threw the burning headband at Tsunade's feet, before he made a single hand sign, and slowly began to sink into the earth. "Now then, I believe I've wasted enough time here. I have plenty of work to do, getting young Naruto initiated and everything. But I promise this: the next time you all meet Naruto, he'll be nothing like the boy he was before." And without another word, both Orochimaru and Naruto vanished into the ground.

"**NNNNNNNOOOOOOOOO!**" exclaimed Tsunade, as she slammed her fist into the ground, in a desperate attempt to stop the snake from escaping. But as she searched the massive crater and fissures that she created, she saw that Orochimaru was already long gone.

"**DAMN YOU, YOU SNAKE!**" shouted Jiraiya, as his legs gave out, no longer able to hold himself up from the shock of having his apprentice abducted from him. Without warning he punched the ground out of frustration, angry at himself for not being able to get better acquainted to Naruto sooner, and for being unable to prevent the most vile shinobi from kidnapping him. Kakashi made no vocal response to what had transpired in front of him. Instead, his gaze was solely locked on the burnt and somewhat melted metal plate that used to be Naruto's headband.

_To Be Continued… _

**4444 **

**And so it begins, Orochimaru's actions have forever changed the shinobi world. What unspeakable horrors will befall onto Naruto? Will he be strong enough to resist Orochimaru's attempts to awaken his dark half? Will Kishimoto FINALLY kill off those fecking Uchihas in the actual manga already? We'll just have to see!**


End file.
